Once again, another year is coming to an end. Anyone with an iPhone or Snapchat is probably viewing many videos being made with their photos and stories, summarizing the highlights of 2021.
Often, a year feels like an extremely long time; other years it flies by. Not all are easy, but every year we can recall many memorable moments, especially when our phones show us pictures to remind us of all of them. Technology may be a pain for many reasons, but it’s certainly handy for documenting and reflecting on the year that has passed.
This week The Review is focusing on ‘Good News for Goodness Sake’, and I am fortunate enough to have had a year full of good news and excitement. I’ve loved watching my little farmer grow and achieve many milestones. We had a summer full of love, laughter, and family time during my sister and cousins’ wedding. The owners of the farm I worked for achieved their Master Breeder’s shield after many years of hard work. My column has been a huge success, and I published my first children’s book! It has been a year to remember and I will forever be grateful to all of those who helped make it come to pass.
Hearing all the positive feedback about both my columns and my book has been truly heartwarming. I just love walking through the stores in town and being stopped by friends, family and members of the community to be complimented on my writing. It’s so wonderful to have an excuse to stop and have a short chat with people we don’t see as often anymore. Receiving phone calls from my grandparents’ friends, to be told how they look forward to my column each week. How on a gloomy day, it is a shining light that they needed to bring them out of a dark tunnel. To know that my writing is touching even just a few hearts, is enough to completely fill mine!
Seeing my name on the cover of a book is truly exciting as well! The amount of support and interest in buying copies has been truly wonderful! We were able to make a $260 donation to the ‘Book on Every Bed’ initiative being done by the Champlain Library and Foodbank thanks to the numerous copies we sold! Once again, our wonderful community, family and friends never cease to amaze me with how supportive they can be. I am truly blessed to have grown up in and continue to be a part of the wonderful community of Vankleek Hill. It is a special place in which to feel welcome and supported!
I wish everyone a truly happy and safe Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Make the most of every moment and don’t take the small things for granted! May the spirit of Christmas fill all of your hearts, and may the moon always shine down on you to brighten the darker nights. I look forward to sharing many more thoughts and stories with you in the new year!
Merry Christmas!
