Thoughts on 2016

Can you believe it? It’s 2016. This year is a big one because I and many of my friends reach 60 years of age. It doesn’t scare me and I hope it doesn’t scare them either. I feel very blessed to have lived so long in good health. Others of my cadre have not been so lucky.
The first month of 2016 holds the promise of a new grandson. I’m on call to rush to his family’s aid for a couple of weeks. I’m anxious to meet this new little guy and see how his brother reacts to the new family member. Grandson has been an only child for three years so new adjustments will come for him. But Grandson is kind hearted and the transition to big brother status should go well.
I hope I can publish two more books in 2016. I have two novels started and a third outlined and ready to work on. I have one middle-reader book written, but not illustrated yet. Getting illustrations are the hardest part of children’s books. I hope I have the self-discipline to complete these projects this year so I can share them with you.
In June, I plan to attend the West Texas Writers Academy again this year. It’s my most favorite place of learning and connecting with other writers. This spring I’ll attend a local one-day writing workshop. I firmly believe that writers need to continue to learn and hone their skills. That’s what I try to do by taking advantage of these opportunities. And I get to network with other writers. I come away energized and ready to write better and efficiently.
Hubby and I hope to travel again this year. We plan to spend our 40th anniversary in northern Italy and the Alps. Hubby is sacrificing his annual bicycle ride on the Michelson Trail in South Dakota for our anniversary trip. He deserves a pat on the back for that. It’s a scary time to travel overseas, but we are saying lots of prayers and doing it anyway. We’ll be traveling with the same group that we went to Ireland with so we are looking forward to being with friends.
This year is full of promise, hope, and expectations. If the Good Lord is willing, may we all have outstanding years when we achieve our goals and accomplish more than we thought we could. And to echo Christmas wishes, may there be peace on earth and good will to all.