As the clamor of December at last ends

and the hope of fresh starts begins to grow,

I will not forget the year that taught me the art

of holding fast to your dreams and letting them go.

It was a year for courage and tenacity,

eye-opening truths and caustic lies;

moving forward bastioned with steadfast roots,

unexpected meetings and sudden goodbyes.

It led me away to find myself,

to discover the fabric of which I was made;

to find the words that anchor my soul

when all centuries known fall away.

It lifted me up to see the horizon,

where I saw all dreams I could ever attain;

and dropped me to my lowest low

where I learned to smile through the pain.

Now as the last whisper goes up in smoke,

and January makes all new again;

I will stand a little taller and ready to recieve

every fleeting year I am blessed to spend.