The Fog is Trying to Lift

My morning commute was trying so hard to display color despite the lingering winter darkness and the fog.

Naturally I realized this was the most appropriate metaphor for the past few days. My brain is foggy and mushy from two days of training and my color (aka Creativity) is trying to show through!

Pretty spot on, actually.

I was trying to do my "normal" job today and found it challenging to put words together. I guess upending how you normally do your work can cause a bit of fog. Not to mention mental and physical exhaustion.

So I am just sticking close to home tonight. Was going to shoot some pictures at school but I just don't have it in me. From what I've read about New Year's resolutions, it's a good one to realize and practice the art of saying no. 

Especially when it's a non-paying volunteer gig where someone else is capable of handling it. (Also known as: Note to self, Robyn. You don't need to be the hero here.)

So I'm going to veg a bit, maybe hook a little, then go to bed at an absurdly early time. Because I really want to. Really need to. And because I can.

Don't forget to make choices for yourself this year!

A Fresh Start

Happy New Year! As it happens, I had the privilege of providing the column for my church's January newsletter. So I get to start off the year in a lazy mode and just share what I've already written!

A Fresh Start

Happy New Year! And happy new YOU – if that is your desire.

January often arrives quietly, especially when it brings new snow. Overnight, the world can be transformed—yesterday’s footprints softened, tire tracks smoothed away, familiar paths made new again. A clean slate stretches before us, inviting us to begin again.

We talk a lot about “fresh starts” at the beginning of a new year. Resolutions are made, calendars are empty, and hope feels a little closer to the surface. Yet as Christians, we should know that God’s gift of new beginnings is not limited to January 1. God is in the business of renewal every single day.

Martin Luther reminded the church that baptism is not a one-time event locked in the past, but a daily reality. Each day, we die to sin and rise to new life. Each night, we come before God honestly, carrying the marks of the day—our worries, our regrets, our sharp words, and missed chances. 

And each night, Jesus meets us not with condemnation, but with grace. Forgiveness falls gently, like fresh snow, covering what was and preparing the ground for what can be.

This is good news for those of us who didn’t end last year the way we hoped. It’s good news for anyone who already feels behind on resolutions or burdened by habits that won’t disappear overnight. God’s mercy does not depend on our willpower or our ability to “do better this time.” It depends on Christ alone.

As we step into this new year, may we notice the small signs of grace around us: a quiet snowfall, a kind word, a moment of peace at the end of a long day. May we trust that God is always offering us a clean slate—not just once a year, but again and again.

Whatever tracks you carry into this January, know this: God’s grace is deeper, wider, and more enduring. In Christ, every day begins with mercy, and every morning invites us to start anew.

Amen.

Goodbye 2025 – No Hard Feelings

The only festive things about this New Year's Eve is this graphic. Yesterday and today were just two old people hanging close to home – sneezing, coughing, and blowing our noses. And blowing snow. Must it snow every day?

As I mentioned, I'm a few days' behind hubby on this "fun" so he's finally improving and I am hoping to turn the corner tomorrow. Before returning to work Friday. Ugh.

I want to give some inspiring reflection on the past year (Can it end already? No hard feelings!), but I'm not feeling it. Especially after such a work-related stressful December and now feeling the crud. But my former boss (I miss her) shared this with me this morning and I think it could hit home for a lot of us who expect too much of this old year-new year transition business.

This Morning Matters More Than the Countdown
(A New Year’s Eve Morning Reflection by Levend Montgomery)

This morning is different. Not because everything has changed, but because you are standing at the edge of something finishing.

New Year’s Eve is often treated like a night to escape into noise, but it begins as a morning to stand in clarity.

Before the countdowns.
Before the reflections rush past.
Before the pressure to summarize an entire year into a sentence.

You woke up here on purpose.

You didn’t arrive at this morning untouched.

You carry a year’s worth of moments in your body.
Some strengthened you.
Some stripped things away.
Some required courage you didn’t know you possessed.

There were prayers whispered and prayers wrestled with.
Endings you accepted.
Endings you didn’t choose.
Faith that held steady.
Faith that limped.

None of it was wasted.

God is not waiting until midnight to be present.

He has already met you here.
In the quiet before the year closes.
In the ordinary hours that don’t get celebrated.

The God who carried you through the past months is not suddenly more available when the calendar turns.

Faithfulness does not operate on a clock.
This morning is not asking you to evaluate the year.
It’s asking you to stand honestly inside it.

You don’t need a final verdict on success or failure.
You don’t need to rush into resolutions.
You don’t need to tidy up every loose end.

Some things take longer than a year to make sense of.
Some growth only becomes visible in hindsight.

There is wisdom in beginning the last day slowly.

Slow enough to acknowledge what shaped you.
Slow enough to release what no longer needs to be carried.
Slow enough to thank God for the strength you borrowed when yours ran out.

This day is not a finish line.
It’s a handoff.

Walk through this morning grounded, not nostalgic.

Carry gratitude without romanticizing pain.
Carry hope without demanding certainty.
Carry trust without needing a full map of what comes next.

You are not closing a chapter alone.
And you are not stepping into the next one unaccompanied.

Goodbye, 2025! Whether you're ringing in the New Year with a midnight toast or a Nyquil-induced 9 p.m. bedtime, be joyous, grateful – and safe!! 

My Cardio :: Extreme Hookin'

I know most of us have New Year's resolution for more exercise. And maybe I'll follow suit. But my cardio in the last 24 hours has been "extreme hooking."

As in buying yarn after work last night and hoping to crochet fast enough tonight to finish a blanket.

It's an ambitious goal but several co-workers decided we should put a birthday/get well basket together for a co-worker who just had back surgery and will be out several more weeks. 

Of course on Monday I said "I'll make him a nice recovery blanket." Then realized they planned to deliver this basket at the end of the week. So I had to get hookin' and double-stitchin' at maximum speed.

I probably would've have finished it after work but I was interrupted by choir practice. Now I'm home and am going to power through and hope for the best. 

Whew! What a workout! Can you tell how muscle-toned my fingers are? 

Good luck with your New Year's exercise resolutions, too!

Making Tracks

If you are entering the new year wondering what tracks you left behind in 2024 and what tracks you might leave in 2025, I get it. And a recent walk in a typical Wisconsin winter's day showed me a thing or two.

First of all, as in usual life, there are a lot of turkeys out there! Somehow they survive Thanksgiving and then just wander around like free birds and no care in the world. I just hope they don't intersect with my windshield.

Winter is also a sign that some bunny we care about is out there and about. Love the fact they just hop along no matter what the world is throwing at us human types.

Then there are dog prints. We love our neighbor dogs so much we're just glad to see footprints in the snow (versus random piles in our yard, that is).

And finally, my favorite tracks... well that's my new tires after 78k plus miles on my original ones! I'm stopping better on our Wisconsin winter roads AND not shaking from a mis-alignment. 

No matter what my original New Year's resolution, I think I'll make these memorable tracks all year!

I May or May Not Resolve...

Since I wrote the column for our January church newsletter, I figured I'd share it here since it definitely has a New Year's theme to it.

I Resolve…

Happy New Year! Did you make your resolutions yet? Without fail, when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, people find themselves committing to becoming better people. In reality, there’s no difference between December 31 and January 1. Nothing mystical occurs at midnight. But society has decided this is the time to make a change.

Common New Year’s resolutions are commitments to quit bad habits, to manage money more wisely, and to spend more time with family. By far, the most common New Year’s resolution (and usually mine) is to lose weight. Fitness centers are packed every January! 

These are all good goals to set. However, 1 Timothy 4:8 instructs us to keep exercise in perspective: “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 

In other words, perhaps we should try faith-based resolutions this year – like praying more, reading the Bible every day, or attending church more regularly. Just keep in mind these New Year’s resolutions can fail just as often as the non-spiritual resolutions. 

Why? Because there’s no actual power in declaring a New Year’s resolution. Resolving to start or stop doing a certain activity has no value unless you have the proper motivation and dedication. 

You might not want to hear this, but that means we still have to do the legwork. We still have to maintain our commitment – even on the tough days. 

The good news, as Philippians 4:13 tells us, is we “can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Maybe if God is the center of our New Year’s resolution, it has a better chance for success. We still must do the work and remain steadfast. But if we rely on God’s strength and guidance to help us, we have a better shot at making it last past the month of January. 

Let’s do it! We all deserve a happy, healthy, and faithful 2025!

Ringing Out the Old

If I'm blogging around 7 p.m. you know for certain we have no ambitions in this house to stay up until midnight. And that's OK.

I did find some words of inspiration while we close out 2024. Things to bring into the new year and things to leave behind...

I'm glad that instead of waiting for a New Year's decluttering resolution that during my Christmas break I was able to declutter and take 6 garbage bags full of clothes to Goodwill. And glad that today I shredded and discarded quite a bit of "crap" from my home office!

And came across some cash while opening old thank you cards and birthday cards from this year!

I also got some steps in with my friend and golf partner Marigene – even though there was no golfing involved. (Dang.)

Managed to sneak in another Hallmark movie, too. Wow, I only have one more day off/Hallmark movie viewing day before heading back to work. I better step up my game so I can enter the new year on a positive (and possibly romantic) note.

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Cold Turkey

It's the beginning of a new year. Time to quit all our bad habits – cold turkey. Pretty sure I am going to have to ease off my sugar addiction. There's still too many treats in the house. And at work. But I'll work on that.

For the record, not giving up caffeine. No point in that at all. My body actually requires it to function so let's pretend I have a doctor's excuse!

As for anything else, I'm a work in progress and since we're 3 days into the new year, there's not much progress to report.

So let's just concentrate on these cold turkeys invading our neighborhood...

In addition to icy roads and deer, it's just one more thing to look out for on my commute! Too bad neither one of those animals make New Year's resolutions to stay off the roads.

Be careful out there!

Happy New Year (Auld Lang Syne, Vacation)

Happy 2024! Unfortunately, New Year's Day signals the end of my Christmas vacation. The good news is that I can put an end to my 10-day grazing streak. Uff da. The bad news is my clothes are going to be seasonally snug.

The other bad news is that I have to set an alarm tonight! WHAT?! That time went too fast.

I didn't even finish all my recorded Christmas movies so I technically shouldn't be allowed to leave the house yet. Should I?

Ugh. It won't be pretty but I'll make it through. Just grateful I had time to really break in my recliner and (no offense to my awesome co-workers) didn't think about work. At. All. 

Hoping you all had time to relax during the holidays. And we can all be energized for a new year of possibilities, making memories, and perhaps watching new Hallmark movies.

Goodbye 2023 (and Our Playoff Hopes)

Today felt more like a typical no-plans Sunday than New Year's Eve. We continued our DE- mode. As in DE-clutter and DE-spose of junk (or add it to the spring garage sale pile, which is growing to the point I'm already dreading pricing things).

For our New Year's Eve excitement, we ordered a DE-licious pizza from Italia's down the road. We hoped the Vikings would look as good as this pie, but that was not to be.

It doesn't help when our DE-fense doesn't show up and the Packers quickly took advantage of that. It was DE-sgusting! Glad Jim and I played some cards to DE-stract ourselves. 

Of course, normal people in the other 48 states are probably partying it up and not worried about two teams trying to make it to .500 and keep their playoff hopes alive. At least the game kept us up until after 10 p.m. We're not making it to midnight, that's for sure. 

Sylvester told us not to be too DE-stressed about it. We'll still have the prettiest kitty on the block when the clock strikes 12. That we do, Princess. We DE-finitely do!

Hope you were able to say goodbye to 2023 with some fun. Be careful out there!

All Versions of Christmas Vacation

Saw this hilarious setup along Chestnut Street in Wisconsin Rapids. Great nod to the Christmas Vacation movie. 

We were quite the anti-Christmas vacation vibe on Bluejay Drive today. We used our free time to start cleaning out our offices and create piles of books, etc., that could go onto our friend Audrey's spring garage sale.

Or if I'lm lazy about pricing things per usual, then it will just go straight to Goodwill. So let me know now if you're in the market for any kind of book from fictional romance to nonfictional sports biographies. We just might be able to accommodate you!

Hope you had a more exciting Saturday. Let's finish this year strong!

Getting Cocky about Vacation

Turns out that even if you don't wake up when the colorful cock crows, you still can cross paths with him later. And I did. 

Even though I (and not just me) stayed in bed until after 9 a.m., I wasn't feeling guilty about it. Until I decided to take a lunch time walk and realized the farm neighbor's roosters probably attempted to wake me and the crack of the dawn! 

And the evil-eyed farm cat confirmed I was the neighborhood slacker!

But then I ran into Mr. Elf in their front yard and he was clearly asking: "What was in that eggnog/!" So I felt vindicated that I was just relaxing on Christmas vacay. As one should!

Carter had lunch with one of his high school friends but we had dinner together tonight at Jennings. Their Mac & Cheese Wednesday special included Smokey Cheddar cheese sauce topped with deep fried chicken tenderloins drizzled with a maple garlic sauce! We both agreed: SO GOOD!

In case you're wondering why we deserved such a delicious meal, we both were stripping wallpaper in the main bathroom to rid our house of the last of it. And we ran into the same problem as the kitchen. We think layer of backing is clinging to the drywall. So we'll see what we can get rid of there and in our master bedroom to rid the house of wallpaper once and for wall, er all!

At least we accomplished something on break. No promises for the rest of the week.

Let's all finish strong, 2023!

New Year's Non-Resolutions

Happy New Year! I rarely have something to look forward to so quickly in the year so I had to make little graphic with my fun new vehicle I'll be riding in in a week. Ha.

Definitely got in the mood today to place those items in my suitcase. I refuse to say "pack" and I think you know why. Sigh. I'm basically set to with 4 days to spare! I could've taken time to make New Year's resolutions, too, while not watching a certain football game, but I came across this and loved this concept...

Of course, if you know me well, you know I focused on that word SWEET. I think it means getting back into my habit of daily dairy doses of the frozen variety. I mean, you read it that way too, don't you? 

One hundred percent explains my lack of successful resolution-keeping in previous years. Speaking of losers...

I knew today's Vike-Pack matchup would not be pretty for The Purple. As soon as I fell short of completing the uprights in my BINGO game at school today, I said, "This is not a good omen." So I guess I have no one to blame but myself. Certainly not poor officiating or lack of defense or offense or special teams. 

Gah!

On the plus side, with all this time I saved not watching the whole game and not making resolutions, I can probably squeeze in one more Hallmark movie before this holiday weekend is over!

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve :: 2022 in Pictures

I saw a neat idea today to share "A Year in Review" through pictures – basically one picture from each month that represents that month. Here goes...

January :: We saw our first death in our immediate family when my brother-in-law Paul died. He had been battling heart issues and other health problems at the end of 2021 and just couldn't go on. He was the sweetest. We had many adventures over the years and we all miss him!

February :: Jim and I joined a group of about 20 friends and went down to Milwaukee for the weekend to see a up-and-coming country artist named Cody Johnson. Later in the year he won an award for best country video so I guess we were onto something. Mainly, it represents a year of getting to some live music and entertainment from Marshall Tucker Band and The Who to The River Dance, Pentatonix, and Book of Mormon.

March :: My mom went out to Phoenix to stay with Rayna after Paul's funeral. I had the privilege of going out there to spend a little time and be mom's much-needed travel companion on the flight back. Later in the month, we celebrated Mom's 90th birthday. She's doing pretty amazing.

April :: After 2 years of successfully dodging the 'rona, the virus caught up with me in late April. While it was a mild case, it still forced me (well, us) to miss two weddings of our friends' children. Darn COVID. I had the bouts of tiredness for a few weeks after, but otherwise it wasn't terrible. We're all caught up on all shots and boosters for that.

May :: Rising inflation was most evident in gas prices but we quickly noticed it in groceries and everything else. Thankfully, gas didn't reach $5 a gallon here. But it's still been quite a few years since we've seen it this high. Yikes.

June :: After 823 days of working at home, we returned to the office in June. We have a permanent hybrid schedule of working at home Mondays and Fridays and in the office Tuesday through Thursday. The exciting part, besides seeing coworkers I missed, was the return to golf league at SentryWorld. Jim golfed in a league in town so we both definitely got a lot of swings in this summer!

July :: We celebrated 20 years of wedded bliss and later in July, Casey and his fiancee Emily visited from Portland so we could see their wedding venue (and take in a Twins game). They'll be married this September over by the Durand-Lake Pepin neck of the woods in Wisconsin. Exciting!

August :: The month was basically booked with senior photo sessions. I got spoiled and got to sit behind the wheel of some awesome cars – including this Mustang and a replica of the General Lee.

September :: Nothing can really top seeing a president in person. For work, I attended a marketing conference in Boston and heard some amazing speakers, including Jane Goodall and Viola Davis in addition to Barack Obama. Pretty amazing!

October :: Per usual, one of the highlights of autumn is my sister weekend – this time up by the Spooner area. We can't take for granted how blessed we are that all 7 of us can take the time off – and actually want to spend it with family!

November :: In a word, the month was heart-breaking. First dealing with the sudden death of my long-time friend Cindy, then the next week losing my Aunt Gwen, then the following week losing Jim's mom the week of Thanksgiving. It made for some quiet holidays. But we have been so blessed beyond measure with the support of friends and family.

December :: Yes, we've had a ton of ice and snow already. But this picture also represents how helpful our neighbors (and many others) have been while Jim recovers from his two knee surgeries. He had the left one replaced in October and the right one in December.

He's doing well and we were both able to celebrate New Year's Eve singing in the guitar choir at Rudolph church and sing (and eat and laugh and whatever) with the guys for a few hours afterward, too. It was the type of fun, uplifting evening we needed! 

Here's to a year of many more blessings than tears in 2023. Happy New Year!

When Miracles Happen

Pardon my language, but 2022 is starting off to be quite the shit show.  I'm emotionally exhausted and it's only January 4th. And I'm only experiencing the roller coaster ride virtually. People we care about have front row seats and are just trying to hold on.

I need to remind myself that where there is hope – even the smallest amount, there is faith. And where there is faith, miracles happen. 

It sounds trite, but I believe this to be true. I must. Or why would I spend so much time praying?

As we transition from one year to the next, our hearts are hurting for those who are hurting even more. We have a friend who lost his father, a friend who lost his son, and a whole community who lost a beloved soccer coach. And that's just the tip of the 2022 iceberg.

But in this same time frame, we've also seen miracles – after endless hours of praying, that is. 

A neighbor adjusted wonderfully to a critically needed kidney transplant. A friend survived a freak stroke and was home within 2 days. Our close friends heard the news today their college-age son is cancer-free! Someone we love survived 30 days in the hospital over the holidays and is home. Another someone we love survived 15 hours of emergency surgery yesterday and into the wee hours of this morning.

To all of these, we say thanks be to God. The road to recovery will be long for all of them. But they're still here among us. And we'll still keep praying for them.

You and I know we don't always get the answers to our prayers that we want. People die expectedly and unexpectedly. But God sends human angels to give us hugs of comfort. We don't understand the "why" of most of the tragedies in our lives. And we probably never will.

It's frustrating. It's devastating. And it's out of our control.

That's especially challenging. Somehow, we need to find the strength to keep hope and faith alive. And look for miracles – big and small – in our everyday lives.

They're there. We may have to wipe away tears to see them, but they're there. 

I pray they'll keep coming. For all of us.

New Year = New Possibilities

Since I wrote the January column for our church newsletter, I figured I'd share it here since, you know, it kind of has to do with New Year's!

New Year = New Possibilities

There’s something refreshing – especially in the midst of a global pandemic – about turning the calendar page to a new year. The simple action simultaneously closes the door on another challenging year (for many) while opening the door to hope and possibilities.

If you were naïve like me and thought 2020 was unique and that 2021 would be completely different, you know where I’m coming from. Can we realistically have hope in 2022? I’m going to go out on a limb and say yes, I think we can. And I’ll tell you why.

First of all, if you’re reading this, you’re still here! Pretty sure I took my health for granted one too many times back in the pre-pandemic days. Now each day that I breathe easy, can taste and smell, and have energy, I’m especially grateful. 

My prayers go out to those of you who’ve either suffered through COVID or watched someone you love experience it or worse, die from it. I don’t think it’s going to go away completely during this next calendar year or maybe ever, but I have hopes that the more the smarter-than-me people know, the more they can figure out a way we can all live with it.

Another reason I have better expectations for 2022 is that life is still going on. With “normal” things. On my new calendar, I already have 3 weddings and 2 due dates marked. Friends and family are still embracing love and life. Shouldn’t we do the same? 

I’ve also discovered another way to see the possibilities in the new year: Don’t set New Year’s resolutions!

Hey, if you don’t set them, you can’t break them. Can’t suck the joy out of your life by trying to follow them. Can’t be disappointed in your lack of dedication to achieve them.

Sounds like the easy way out. And it sort of is. I just know that I’ve probably had the same “lose weight” resolution on my list for 30 straight New Year’s. I think it’s time I change my mindset to, “Learn to love and accept myself the way God does – while  taking care of my body to the best of my ability.”

Why yes, it is sad that it can take so long to figure out what’s important in life. Maybe a once-in-a-century pandemic had something to do with it. I for one am thankful it opened my eyes to better see the blessings in my life.

May this new year do the same for you. Each square on your calendar brings new possibilities – and new opportunities to thank God for our blessings. 

Bring it on, 2022. We got this!

Saying So Long to 2021

Probably fitting that on the last day of a somewhat poopy year, we lose a favorite icon. Betty White died, just shy of her 100th birthday. And she was feisty and funny to the end. Amazing.

She's had some good quotes over time and I like this one pictured. It epitomizes why my blog is called On the Light Side. Find the humor and the light side of things and it will get you through the dark or just plain dreary times.

Like 2021. For many, anyway.

It was definitely an interesting 365 days. Some challenges, of course. And weird "new normal" things I'm not quite ready to accept as normal just yet. Working from home, for one. Is it ironic in a peculiar way or simply scary way that today marks the 666th day at home? Not even kidding. Uff da. 

Let's focus on some positives instead! Had an amazing trip to Alaska this year plus fun weekends with sisters and friends. Jim and I had a great time at the Ryder Cup and golfed together a few times, too. Mostly, we had our own golf buddies and that was fine.

Somehow, knock on wood, we stayed healthy. Our kids did, too. At least as far as avoiding the big virus. Hoping that continues in 2022.

The one thing we really appreciated in 2021 over 2020 was finally getting to see people again – and actually hug them! It took 'til July but we finally had the first gathering of my family since December of 2019. That seems so unbelievable. Will never take that freedom to socialize for granted again.

We did lose some people in our lives this year – on both sides of our family – and there were a few close calls, too, but thankfully the power of prayer worked in those instances. We also welcomed some new life into our family – again, on both sides (one great-nephew and one great-niece). How exciting that life and love prevail!

We also managed to stay up until midnight two nights this year. Just kidding. It's 11:06 p.m. and I don't think I'll make it. We did have a fun evening gathering after 4 p.m. church in Rudolph with other members of the guitar choir. Lots of food, laughter, and singing to serenade the old year out of existence and ring in the new year. 

Happy New Year!

Happy Bucky Eve

I don't know what gets into those Bowl Game schedulers, but it's asking a lot of us middle-aged Wisconsinites to stay up past midnight two nights in a row!

The Badgers bowl game in Vegas kicked off at about 9:40 p.m. and just wrapped up at 12:45 a.m. Thankfully with a win. Yay, Bucky!

Tomorrow night / tonight is New Year's Eve. Not sure what will make it worth another run at midnight. Maybe a nap will help. 

Then again, there's no rush to start 2022 – in my book, anyway. Enjoy the last day of 2021!

Con-Sugar-acy Theory

It's not only the diet and fitness empires who are out to make a buck on New Year's resolutions. Little Debbie is right there, too, to capitalize on the failures.

Kind of makes you wonder if the two industries are conspiring against us chronic resolution-makers. 

Kellogg's: I'll sell sugary cereal so they gain weight and lose self-esteem by end of the holidays.

Magic weight loss company: Great, then we'll come in with expensive yet tasteless options so that they stay engaged for the first week of the new year.

Kellogg's: Sounds perfect. In the meantime, we'll partner with Little Debbie and swoop right in when their resolve has weakened.

Magic weight loss company: Awesome. Cha-ching!

Seems so logical, doesn't it? Just thought I'd put it out there since 2020 and 2021 already were heavy on conspiracy theories. 

By the way, you can find this goody at Wal-Mart (and perhaps other retailers). Also by the way, I love Oatmeal Cream Pies. Did not buy this today... but when my resolves breaks oh, about Saturday of this week, you can bet I'll be back in the cereal aisle. If they have Nutty Butter or Swiss Cake Roll option, I'm doomed.

You're welcome, Kellogg's, NutriSystem, et al. 

Five Days

Remember when 2020 sucked? Well it's been 5 whole days into 2021 and we're still not seeing the Wonderful World that Louis Armstrong used to sing about. Instead, we're seeing ugly.

Really ugly.

And frankly, I just can't wrap my head around today's events in Washington. I guess I'm telling my future self that if she wants to know about what the heck was happening, just Google it by date or related subject matters, because there's a lot: storming capitol, electoral college, protests, election fraud, Trump, riot, 25th Amendment, democracy. Oh, and disappointment.

On a positive note – because we need one – a friend's son going through cancer treatments for the past 15 months was declared "in complete remission" today. Praise the Lord! 

Take that, 2021. You can't steal all our joy.

#findpositives #prayforpeace