December 30th, 2022
Re-entering the Blogosphere . . .
It has been over a year and a half since I last made a post to my blog. That was in April of 2021. Each time I thought I’d write something, I felt so scattered, or void of inspiration, I just stopped. I didn’t even tell myself I would come back and try again. I just stopped! I can’t go back and recreate the thoughts or moods I had over the last twenty months, so I will just pick up from here; and if something occurs to me that harkens back to the days we were still deep in the pandemic, I will try to get that thought or emotion onto the page. I came to the realization recently that I was blaming the COVID-19 pandemic for my ambivalence and lack of enthusiasm, but I deluded myself. I used the pandemic as an excuse … a crutch … magical thinking … or whatever other term that allowed me to give up and attribute my stagnation to COVID-19. I wasn't personally afflicted with the virus, but it stole from me as we lost family members and friends. However, my husband and I both are fully vaccinated and boosted. We're going out and about, while exercising caution, and wearing our masks now that influenza, RSV and COVID-19 are currently on the uptick.
Since we are about to close the door on 2022, I’m thinking about how the past year played out and also thinking about what kinds of goals I’d like to set for myself for 2023. Over the past week, I have had a lot of time to think about these things because we were snowed in. The Blizzard of 2022, or Elliott, as it has been named, started a week ago today. As I write this, we are starting to thaw out. We saw the sun yesterday for the first time in almost a week. My little rural village was spared. We had a lot of snow, frigid temperatures, terrific high winds and blinding whiteouts, but it was nothing like Buffalo and other nearby towns experienced. We never lost power and our good neighbors checked on us, plowed our driveway and shoveled our walks. Thankfully, once it started to warm up, our frozen drains thawed yesterday. 😊
On Christmas Eve, all the roads were closed and there was a state of emergency. Local churches canceled their services. We watched the Christmas Eve service from the Vatican. It was comforting to see the beautiful St. Peter’s Basilica and hear the Pope’s meaningful homily. His message struck a chord with us.
So … watch for my posts in 2023 … and here's to closing this year in good health and starting the new year with plans to make it a good one for yourself, your family, your friends and our world.
And, as always, until we meet again, may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand.
Emmy
P. S. If you've read this far, and you're looking for the part you must have missed that was about the loaf of freshly baked bread that's pictured above, I'm sorry; but you'll need to wait for the next post when I'll write about my breadmaking adventures over the past year! 😉
