I’m struck by the enormity and inanity of the occasion.  A new year. It is, after all, momentous on some level, it is also, after all, just the passing of another day. But taking on significance as a mathematical change (and perhaps a philosophical change), it’s meaning explodes in celebration.

I’m all for celebration. I believe in holidays, birthdays, super-bowl parties. It is, however,  curious to see what we deem important. In that regard, the passing of a full year is meaningful. Not as an occasion to get drunk, but as a time to consider the previous 364 days of one’s life, to gather with family and friends, to open one’s heart to joy. And sorrow.

This new year’s eve was a quiet one. It was spent with three other couples, at one of the couple’s homes, for hors d’oeuvres, dinner and conversation. The home was modern and spacious – consisting of large windows offering a 360 degree view of the surrounding terrain. A quarry rested just down the hill, as did the coastline. With all the beauty outside, it was the people who held our attention. We spent the evening getting to know one another, speaking about safe topics at first, and then moving onto less safe, more personal, ground.

Life can be grand (and Lord knows, it can be lousy, too). But this new year’s eve was fun. I hope to make this year a better one than the last (better is subjective, but happiness and making a difference are right up there). Let us take a moment to toast what, and who, we care about. I want to wish all who visit here, a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2015! May each of us make a positive difference in some small way.