Share Your World

I haven’t participated in a long time in Share Your World by Pensitivity 101 in a while, but I think January 1, 2024, is a good day to start again.

Did you stay up to see in the New Year last night?

I didn’t stay up to necessarily see the new year in, but where I live, about 30 minutes before the change, firecrackers start popping off, making sleep impossible. Then, at midnight, guns are shot from seemingly every house around us in our subdivision and the next one over. Some of the shots sound like cannons firing, so loud that I am surprised they are not illegal. We simply lay in the dark, waiting for the gunfire and fireworks to end. I hate this part of the celebration. It’s why I don’t attend Watch Night Services at my church. I am afraid of driving when all that gunfire is going off.

2.  How are you feeling this morning?

I have a cold that started on Saturday with a scratchy throat. I had to wake up and take some cough medicine, but I will get some Nyquil for tonight. I am always so glad to have lived to see another year, and I am feeling so hopeful for 2024, despite an ugly election year coverage to endure.

3.  Are there any special occasions/events coming up in 2024 (weddings, special birthdays, babies)

The thirteenth grandbaby is due in 2024. My daughter has three granddaughters, so she is excited that this child will be a boy.

4.  What was the highlight/s of 2023 for you?

The highlights of 2023 were I didn’t go into the hospital once last year, and I thank God for health and strength. I also came out of retirement to return to teaching at the local college. I loved the first semester back, and I look forward to returning next week for the new semester of teaching and attending classes toward my Master’s degree in Religious Studies. The other highlight of 2023 was a six-week trip to Europe that included four weeks in Portugal with Douglas’ daughter and her family, as well as Paris and Amsterdam. That was a great trip.

Happy New Year to everyone.