The Year 2025

The end of December is a good time to reflect on the year past.  It’s when I review my weekly blogs from the past year and remind myself of what captures my fancy and inspires my writing. 

In 2025, I wrote about topics ranging from cats to near catastrophes; from distressing politics to delicious pies; from homemade fig jam to dancing dragonflies; from backyard birds to a resident spider in my mailbox; from gorgeous new books to soulful old favorites; from feel-good French films and dreams of Paris to travels recalled and trips revisited in my mind; from the warmth of family to neighbors and forever friends; from art that inspires me to paint again and piles of October pumpkins; and from the magic of Christmas in the air to thoughts on the road ahead.

Kit is always on my mind and continues to be a source of joy. Peekay (my precocious cat with the attention span of a 7th grader) keeps me young.  He and I spend mornings and evenings in our home in Nevada City just eight miles from Grass Valley where Kit is lovingly surrounded by an amazing team of caregivers and fellow residents at a place we call “the Lodge.”

I visit daily before and after Kit’s lunchtime. We talk about the day underway, hold hands in the patio garden while meditating in the sunshine, and we revisit memories so they will not be forgotten.  This was not our plan when we moved west in 2021, but it is our reality.  Writing is my way of keeping my balance and remaining hopeful. A year ago on this day I wrote:

Life is a matter of balance.

Of sitting alone with a cup of tea and watching birds through a breakfast window;

Of allowing yourself time to laugh at the antics of squirrels frolicking in the snow;

Of knowing when to follow and when to follow your own heart;

Of reminding yourself every day to be kind in a world where you can be anything you chose;

Of putting one foot in front of the other with care when the path is rocky;

And when in doubt, remember to breathe in, and breathe out.

Kit turned 87 in August, and I turned eighty in October. While our personal journey in the year(s) ahead is uncertain, the power of our love remains constant. Bonne année to you all!  And forward we go as I continue exploring places in my mind where magical thinking has the power to conquer darkness.