I’ve never been asked to give a toast before so bear with me for a few meandering moments paragraphs as I try to articulate my thoughts while simultaneously raising a glass to all of our GGKFMC readers…

If you were engaged in a game of word association, what would you say if the prompt you were given was New Year’s Day?

A champagne glass? A noise blower? A burst of colorful fireworks, perhaps?

Me? I’d go with a lighthouse. Because—as I sit here writing this—I can see both the jagged rocks of 2007, and the untouched and pristine shoreline of 2008.

Ahhhhhh. Let me say that last part again…

The untouched and pristine shoreline of 2008.

Untouched.

This brand new year is just like a stretch of beach that’s never been maneuvered…never walked on…never played upon…never loved on…never learned on.

And I, for one, can’t wait to take my first step in that perfect sand. I’ve learned a lot the past twelve months. I know more about who I am, what I want/need, and who my friends are. I’ve come to realize that I need a love that is nurtured, treasured, and respected as the beautiful and rare gift it truly is, and that it’s okay to want that.

So, as tough as 2007 was at times, it was good too. It taught me things, lessons. The kind of lessons I’m excited to tuck under my arm as I proceed (barefoot, of course) down that beautiful stretch of untouched sand. Lessons aptly summed up by people far more eloquent than I…

*One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love. ~Sophocles.

*A faithful friend is the medicine of life. ~Ecclesiastics 9:10

*Don’t SAY things. What you ARE stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

*Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. ~Anais Nin.

*Character is what a man is in the dark. ~Dwight L Moody

*It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important. ~Arthur Conan Doyle.

*(2008 is) another year. Another chance to get things right or wrong, to enjoy the mistakes you made the year before and to know you’ll make them again. ~Our own Stephen Blackmoore

Now, let’s raise those glasses in a toast, shall we?

Ladies and gentleman of the GGKFMC clubhouse…whether you’re fortunate enough to step onto that pristine and untouched beach with someone by your side, or you’re going it alone, here’s to 2008. May it be amazing for all of us!!

Hugs,
Laura

P.S. For those inquiring minds who have been emailing me for more details on my Big Apple Birthday (a.k.a. fresh start), I now have a hotel room booked for the night of the tenth!!! I’m taking Judy’s suggestion and staying at the Algonquin (it is, after all, steeped in literary tradition and they have a AAA discount ).

Assuming the romantic guy waiting in baggage claim doesn’t actually materialize, I’ll get to my hotel via the PATH train. Once I’m there, I’ll figure out which Broadway show based on what’s available at the discount ticket stand. I’m leaving the rest of my twenty-four hours open for a carriage ride in Central Park and some ice skating.

As for a cake—it’s New York. Surely I can find a bakery that’ll write “Happy Birthday” across the top of a cupcake (chocolate, of course. ). And yes, I’ll most certainly pack a candle.