I’m always excited about the possibilities and opportunities a new year promises to bring, but I also like to look back and reflect on the year that has passed. In 2023, there were many special things for me and some of my beloved family members to enjoy and celebrate.
In June, I reached a milestone with my 70th birthday. I enjoyed the day with family and friends and also celebrated with a road trip to Maryland for a visit with my sister and a special lunch with my high school classmates. I am very grateful that my health is good and that I am very active – still working and writing stories for My City, and playing as much golf as I can.
My oldest grandson Brennan also celebrated a milestone birthday in June when he turned 21. He is a student at Michigan Technological University and was working as an intern at a company in San Antonio, TX, one of just a few students chosen to go there for the summer. Although he was unable to celebrate the big day with us, he enjoyed spending it with friends on the San Antonio River Walk.
In July, we welcomed a new member to our family! My grandson, Mack, who is a U.S. Marine stationed in Fort Worth, TX, got married. We were happy to meet Rose, who is in the U.S. Navy, last Christmas and we welcomed her with open arms.
I didn’t get to travel as much as I wanted to last year, but did enjoy a family trip to the Upper Peninsula in October when Mack was home on military leave. We visited Brennan at Michigan Tech – it was bittersweet as his brother Mack will soon be deployed to an unknown (at the time of this writing) destination.
While there weren’t any particularly momentous occasions that happened in 2023, what I enjoyed the most were the little moments – watching my youngest grandson play soccer for the first time and cheering his team on, lunches with my friends, golfing with my grandsons, birthday celebrations and family dinners. I made some new friends and enjoyed spending time with them.
I have many things to look forward to in this New Year. Noah, my third-oldest grandson, will graduate from high school, so we are looking forward to the ceremony and a graduation party. Noah has a bright future and we are all very excited to see what he will do and where he will go.
I also plan to travel more this year. To beat the “winter blues” I am looking forward to a golf trip somewhere warm and also hope to visit my oldest son Matt and my granddaughter who live in Washington state this summer.
Most of all, I plan to enjoy the little things life has to offer. I find this quote by Michael Josephson inspiring: “Approach the new year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.”
Happy New Year!
