My resolution was to read more … So I put the subtitles on my TV.
“Dear friend, how have you been? I think about you from time to time. Someday, I’d love to know how you have grown since our last goodbye.”
It’s safe to say that we’re all ready to celebrate the start of a new year. The farther away from 2020 and the pandemic we are, the better!
2022 was a tough year for me: I lost a friend, I survived Covid-19 a week before Christmas, and, just last week, someone threatened me with a gun!
Needless to say, I am not sad to see the year 2022 gone and hopefully forgotten soon.
People usually stay up until midnight to see the New Year in, I stayed up just to make sure the old one left!
I spent my New Year’s Eve with my sons and our family. We exchanged gifts, ate some good food, and drank champagne. I loved seeing the grand fireworks displays on TV marking the start of 2023—hopefully a better year for all!
A day before New Year’s Eve, my mom went to the store to buy some new “New Year” decorations, but earlier on that day, the store had put away all of the Christmas / Holiday Season decorations. They were already displaying Valentine’s Day decorations which mom ended up buying and decorating her house with. I thought it was the funniest thing!
This year I’ve decided not to make any New Year Resolutions, but to clear out my closets instead and hopefully as the new year settles in, I will try to do the same thing with myself. Clean out the trash, Sanela, in your head, in your heart. Make room for the new and shiny. It’s not as easy as tossing away expired coupons, but it’s worth the effort to clear a clean path for the new year.
I’m always amazed by the amount of absolute trash that ends up pushed into a drawer. Out it goes. Some things no longer belong here.
Before I start cleaning out my closet–and hopefully my head–however, I’m going to take a walk in this surprisingly gorgeous spring like weather. 48 degrees on January 1st in Chicago-land is rare and I am loving the positive change in the new year already.
I am wishing you a happy, healthy, hopeful New Year full of love and fun and wonderful books.
Sanela
Have you ever wondered why January 1 starts a New Year?
Fun fact:
The month of “January” is named for Janus, the ancient Roman god. Often depicted as having two faces—one looking forward and one looking back—Janus was the god of beginnings and endings, doors and gates, passageways and transitions.
In ancient Roman times, the gates of the temple of Janus were open in times of war and closed in times of peace. While Janus is linked to war, it was more as a way to protect and welcome returning warriors; at other times, he symbolizes peace.
Source: https://www.almanac.com/content/when-new-years-day
In modern times, not all cultures follow the Gregorian calendar. The date of the New Year in the Hindu, Chinese, Coptic, Jewish, and Islamic calendars differs.
For example…
- The Chinese New Year starts in January or early February.
- The Jewish New Year (based on a lunar calendar) is called Rosh Hashanah and usually takes place in September.
- The Islamic New Year, also known as the First of Muharram, is usually observed in July or August and is based on the sighting of the thin crescent Moon.
A New Year’s Quote for you:
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
–Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92)
“Ms. Jurich is a master story teller with a historically important background that must be read in its entirety to be appreciated – Don’t worry, once she’s introduced, you’ll hang on every word.” – iSTAR
“When I was fifteen years old, my whole life changed in a blink of an eye…”
REMEMBER ME is out in audio!
Sample:
To purchase, go to Audible.com or visit Amazon.com
Email sanela@sanelajurich.com to receive a code to one FREE copy of Remember Me to listen and review.