My friends,

In the morning, I depart for St. Louis and points north.  I cannot be certain when I will next chronicle my journey to joy.  Therefore, I pause in my busy day of preparation to tell each and every person reading this entry that you are loved.

Last evening, I shared a decent meal in a comfortable restaurant with a good friend.  We laughed, waved our hands, dissected our days, and leaned forward to talk softly of experiences which have changed our lives.  Though my friend is 17 years younger than I am, we share so many views and such similar life-events that she calls us sisters-separated-at-birth.  On the way home, in the quiet of my car with the radio off, I contemplated my good fortune at developing such a solid connection with someone who reminds me of my younger self — only better, in so many ways, since my friend made choices that took her down forks in the road which I never saw in the fog of my troubled years.

My ruminations provided this certain knowledge:  Those paths might be closed to me, but others remain clear.  A walkway to serenity beckons.  My feet might tread in jerky hesitation, but I still move forward, still plod ahead.  I can find the way to my best self and a peaceful existence —  perhaps not on terms that I first sought, but on terms with which I can be content.

My Year Without Complaining began as a promise to honor the memory of my mother-in-law by trying to live every day of a single year without voicing complaint.  I throw off a laugh when I contemplate my naivete.  My mission met obstacle after obstacle.  But I persisted.  Perhaps my thirty-seventh month, January 2017, will begin a year in which I truly live each day without complaining. I cannot say.

But I can say this:  My quest has evolved into an earnest plan to live life surrounded in glory; to give without hesitation to those who have need of me; and to meet every person with empathy and understanding.  It has taken thirty-six months to sharply define my objective but now that I have done so, getting there will exhilarate and satisfy me.

To each of you, I wish the same:  Exhilaration in your efforts; and satisfaction in the attainment of your goals.  Be well, my friends.  I will keep sharing my journey to joy, and I will keep the faith that each of you will walk untroubled on a memorable and rewarding path.

Happy Holidays.