Treasuring the old and the new

Each January, because I blog on the first of the month, I have the privilege and responsibility of ushering in a new year.

Sometimes I do so light heartedly. Other times, I’m more introspective. This is a particularly emotional time because my mother, internationally renowned ceramic sculptor Sylvia Hyman, died December 23 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Although she was 95, she had been actively working in the studio until early December, when she fell ill. A younger person might have survived the series of infections and related ills that befell her, but she wasn’t strong enough.

We live in a miraculous age when many of us, including me, have survived ailments and complications that would have killed us off in an earlier era. That’s assuming we hadn’t succumbed to any of a zillion now-vanquished childhood illnesses. Still, losing our elders is painful, at any age.

In my family, we’re grateful to have the older generation still contributing to our lives. My stepfather turned 101 on December 24. Today, January 1, we’re celebrating the eightieth birthday of my husband’s stepmother.

So a new year dawns, filled with change and promise as our family’s younger generation moves into the future. What a bittersweet reminder of how temporary is the reality in which we live, and how precious.

Now for a more cheerful matter. Each month on my website, I offer a special for readers. In case you've resolved to work on your novel this year, I’m offering my ebook How to Write a Novel in One (Not-so-easy) Lesson, for 99 cents through January 31. I hope it’s helpful.

May your new year be filled with happy surprises.

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