I've realised, that at this time, when one year gently slips into another, I find myself reminiscing about the ghosts of bygone new year's eves. The memories come to me, in no particular order, an intangible collage of snapshots and a jumble of half-forgotten whispers that pour out of some forgotten fragment of my mind. Or is it our soul that remembers? I know not.
But I do know, that amidst the memories of parties and mayhem, of spumante and pink champagne fizzing out of hastily uncorked bottles as my friends and I sang (or tried to) Auld Lang Syne, while balloons floated gently over our heads and we popped Baci chocolate (not sure why, but we did) into our mouths, there are the equally memorable quiet moments. Moments of intense clarity, that stand out, proud and tall, like solitary fir-trees on a barren, snowy expanse. Moments of silence on the shores of the Mississippi river in the non-descript town of La Grange (MO), where the only sound my husband and I could hear was the gentle lapping of the water of that mighty river, as a feeling of all-pervading peace quieted our hearts. Or the year we drove to the chapel at the edge of the cliffs, in an equally non-descript hamlet, this time in Malta, and listened to a mighty gale usher in the new year. Years when all we wanted, all we needed, was candle-light and mulled wine and the closeness o family - the perfect ending to any year.
But it doesn't end there, on the eve; dawn signals the start of something new, offering fresh hope and endless possibilities. This year is spiraling out of our reach and we stand with one foot in the shadows and the other in the light. We will soon turn our calendars to a new month and a new year, literally taking a symbolic leap of faith into the unknown. Perhaps it is the most courageous thing that we do each year as, unthinking and unknowing, we step forward into a new adventure.
This will be my last entry for 2016. I would like to wish all my readers and their families a wonderful 2017.
Location: Ghar Lapsi, December 2014
Yes another year went by. For me these year end celebrations become really a pain in the neck ! In the past we partied at New Year's Eve, or we were celebrating in Tenerife or Egypt, and now we are sitting here with two others and it's nothing special anymore. I don't like to go in a restaurant and eat the whole evening, my husband doesn't want to go out anymore, so I am stuck here and wait for the beginning of the New Year when everything turns to normal again !
ReplyDeleteHappiest New Year!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post. The photo of rain on the Mediterranean sea is stunning.
I spend New Years Eve at home, and toast in the new year with the wine of Earth, water. No champagne one year started the tradition. I'll add food this year for an adventure. Snippets of 2016 have also been showing up this last week in memory. I believe 2017 will be more interesting, and busy. To be positive, I'm naming 2017, my year of Determination to Achieve.
Dear Loree - beautiful words friend to make us all stop and pause and take time to reflect. I am wishing you wonderful blessings in the coming new year. Together we will bravely step into 2017. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteHAPPY NEW YEAR!
ReplyDeleteI hope it brings you to the STATES for a visit........SAN FRANCISCO should be a STOP!
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Beautiful seascapes! I especially love the light spilling out of the clouds in the first one. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your words about the importance of taking a leap of faith and entering the great unknown. Happy New Year to you Loree and wishing you a wonderful year ahead (filled with lots of Baci chocolates :))
ReplyDelete