It is customary in the military to have a "hail and farewell" event to welcome in new members to the unit, and to bid adieu to those who are leaving. The military is all about its customs, at which I usually inwardly smirk. But sometimes customs and tradition aren't so bad, I suppose.
So, I welcome 2013 with open arms, a sense of purpose and determination, and with preliminary thanks for the learning experiences that are sure to come. My previous self would have said, "Bring it!" with an eye for daring, danger and thrills that might be lurking in the future months. My current motherly self, instead, flinches unconsciously as I contemplate all the many bad things that this new year could bring to our family. I try hard to focus on the positives, but the reality of the world can be so negative that it's hard not to live with some fear from time to time.
And...Farewell, my friend Ruth. I learned yesterday that a dear friend, Ruth Affleck, died after a long and difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. She was a beautiful woman, a real lady's lady, with long, thick white hair that she always had done up in barrettes. She owned an alpaca farm and spun the wool into yarn. She was an amazing knitter and had such a great accent, being that she was from New Zealand and Australia...yup, a little bit of both. Ruth had returned to school at a later age and received her degree in bookkeeping, and had decided to plug on for another degree right before being diagnosed with cancer. She was not just the average "special person" people talk about when someone has died. Ruth was rugged, soft, funny, serious, talented and average. She was exactly the friend you'd want to have in the room during a winter's night spent knitting over tea. And she loved her cats. That was her, too. I see and hear her so vividly in my mind right now; that gives me comfort that she'll never be far from memory. We'll miss you, Ruth.
Time to start up with my winter knitting again. Sometimes customs aren't so bad, I suppose.
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