Merry New Year!

"Merry New Year! "
"Happy. Happy New Year. In this country we say "Happy New Year"! "
"Ah ha ha ha! Thank you for correcting my English which stinks! "
(Obligatory New Year's quote from a great movie...)

So what can I say as we roll into 2010? It's been a long 2009 and a much longer last 4 months of 2009. I suppose the cusp of a new year has always traditionally been a time for reflection and introspection. And as our family starts into and stares into the great unknown that we call '2010', I can't help but think about how the events in 2009 in the larger world sort of loosely parallel what's happened in our little corner of the universe.

We came into 2009 staring into the abyss of financial and economic Armageddon and by March, it almost seemed that it would be a certainty and that Great Depression II was almost upon us. But without much fanfare or noise, things turned around, and through some fits and starts, we end 2009 with Armageddon averted and head into 2010 with cautious optimism. The economy and the problems associated with it have a long way to go, but, for now, we have cautious optimism.

So too, for our little clan. The arrival of an addition to a family is, while a joyous occasion, also fraught with it's share of stress. But add to the mix the problems of, well, "problems", and it can seem overwhelming at times and despair can creep in and I've had my moments when I feel like I'm staring into the Abyss. But we have much to be thankful for, and while we have a long way to yet venture on our journey, we still have cautious optimism. While the problems before us are large, they are not insurmountable and while Ethan has issues, we have to remember and be so grateful that *none* of them are life threatening. Like the larger world, we too have a long way to go, but we have cautious optimism.

So what can I say as we roll into 2010? Maybe a cautious but optimistic "Happy New Year everyone. "

-b