I’ve never been much interested in “seeing in” the new year.  Not in the sense of watching the ball drop or banging pots and pan and whooping it up.  Maybe a party with friends.  But the welcoming of “the new year” always seems incidental.

Actually, the beginning of the year for me usually came in September.  It certainly did when I was in school — a new grade, new friends in addition to the old ones, new clothes, and new learning on the horizon.  That outlook was reinforced, of course, by a long career as a teacher.  By the time December 31st rolled around, there never seemed much new to anticipate.

Not so this year!  I can’t think of a single area of our lives that won’t be affected, one way or another, by the arrival of 2021.  First of all will be the change in our country’s leadership.  No matter which “side of the aisle” we support, there is bound to be a different outlook coming from the top down.  Will substantive changes occur in 2021?  That remains to be seen, but celebrating the possibilities on New Year’s Eve seems reasonable.

Then there is the promise of an effective vaccine.  Will it get to us and our loved ones in time?  Will it be effective?  Will we be able to relax our sheltering as the year progresses?  Will the “new normal” look at all familiar to us?  What changes to our way of life will we be able to fully embrace?  And, on a totally personal note, will Nyel and I get vaccinated before my 85th birthday in February?  What a stress-reliever that would be!

No matter how you look at it, 2021 promises to be a new year without precedent in recent times.  Cause to celebrate?  Well… not with a party on December 31st.  Not even by staying up until midnight in this household.  But certainly with hopes and prayers focused on a brighter future.  As we count our blessings, we are checking off the days until 2020 ends.  Thankfully, there are far more of the former than of the latter!