It has been a quiet and peaceful year for me, with a great deal of loving support from my family and friends. For the world at large, it has been quite another thing. Ukraine is engaged in a mighty struggle to maintain its independence. Our country has been embroiled in bitter, sometimes vicious, political dissension. Our global health continues to be imperiled by “climate change.” And we continue to adjust our everyday lives around a viral infection that has become endemic.
 
And yet we carry on. What keeps us going and gives us hope, despite all that may be impinging on our happiness and our serenity? For some of us, it is our faith. For others, it is a sort of universal optimism. And for still others, it is a belief in one’s self and one’s ability to succeed in whatever one defines as achievement. 
 
My wish for you is that you find peace in this season of loving, giving, and remembering. Perhaps, in finding peace within ourselves, we will help to heal those around us, and that healing peace will begin to restore our global health.
 
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!