I'm glad...

At the end of a year, a writer is faced with the temptation of trying to be unusually brilliant. I would so like to find a way to encapsulate it all, to be inspiring, to articulate this remarkable year's "perfect" epitaph. And yet, what with the proverbial one thing after another, and in the face of almost epic world events, I'm just glad to reach this particular finish line. All I seem to have the energy to do is to present one of my "lists of ten," in no particular order.

1. I am so glad to get to the end of 2016. Yes I am. It has been indescribable, personally, and much more so for the world. It has been catalytic, and it certainly has been revealing. If I thought it were possible, I'd ask the Universe for a year off for all of us to take stock of what's going on, but I don't think it works that way. The best we may get is a quiet weekend. So, 2016, thanks for being a great teacher. Please give all of us the strength to deal with the new factors you birthed!
2. I am so glad to be in a warm house with two sleeping but personable cats.
3. I am so glad that my computer (at least temporarily) came back to life and got me to the end of the year, and maybe beyond.
4. I'm glad I travelled to England this past spring and heard choral evensong in a number of new (to me) settings. I am glad that, while I may be "done" with many things, this specific place and this specific tradition remain alive at my core.
5. I'm glad for my dear readers, and my dear friends.
6. I am glad to be me. Wow. Yes, it's true. I'm glad to be all the wonderful and challenging things that I am. No amount of money would tempt me to be someone else.
7. On the same note, I am glad to be a woman of almost 61. This "sixty" thing has been unexpectedly liberating. You just stop wanting to hide your light under a bushel. You just stop being afraid of being laughed at.
8. I'm still only at the baby step phase, but I am so glad to be exploring the divine feminine, and the real meaning and power of love.
9. I'm glad for my increased understanding of how the law of attraction works.
10. Lastly, I'm glad because I believe all of us have the tools and resources deep in us to grow stronger and wiser in the face of 2017's challenges.

Thanks, all. I love you and wish you the best that can be in the new year! Liz