I am celebrating this New Year with my family, my mom, and some of her friends at Crosswicks in Northwestern Connecticut. We have done this for a few years in a row now, establishing a tradition - the kids are excited to stay up as late as they want to watch the ball drop, and to play Apples to Apples and Trivial Pursuit, maybe watch a movie, nibble and snack. My mom also presented them with gift cards from www.globalgiving.org where they can choose their own charitable contribution. I am extremely grateful to be able to take them into the New Year giving to other.
And my late Christmas present from my mom came in today's mail - perfect timing: my very own Kindle! Finally, I will join the ranks of e-readers. A Kindle - something I would never procure for myself but am giggling with delight over. Something I feel that I can't afford - but a gift, making me feel rich! Is this a premonition of things to come - will I leap into the New Year with more technological savvy? Will I leap with faith that book contracts and job security will happen on their own time and when they need to?
I was happy to pay $9.99 for Edges, and thrilled to find that I could download my great-grandfather's out-of-print books for 99 cents each. (Yes, Madeleine L'Engle's own father, Charles Wordsworth Camp was not only a journalist, but a playwright and the author of mystery novels!) My first read will be The Gray Mask.
So . . . I will ring in 2011 with hope and gratitude, love and joy. With a focus on the journey, rather than specific accomplishments. And remember the words of Mick Jagger whenever I hit a road block: You can't always get what you want, you can't always get what you want, but sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need!
And the poetry of Rumi:
They will ask you
what you have produced.
Say to them,
except for Love,
what else can a Lover produce?
I wish you all the best in the year to come! Thank you for sharing this journey with me!
