I slowly opened my eyes and gingerly rolled over, mostly because my long winter’s nap had been shorter than I would have liked. I couldn’t complain though. The previous night had been spent with chosen family, laughing, celebrating and playing games long into the wee hours of the dark. So, the lethargic, hungover feeling I was experiencing was due to being exhausted from sheer joyousness. That’s a good way to be, I believe.
As the clock neared midnight last night, we paused in the middle of our game to don leis, tiaras and various other accouterments necessary for a festive ringing in of the new year. Grabbing our noise makers and filing out the door and down the driveway, we gathered in the street to be treated to a vision unlike any I had experienced in my life yet.
Their house is built on the foothills of Bountiful, Utah and overlooks the Great Salt Lake. The sky was pitch black, crystal clear, devoid of pollution and peppered with brilliant stars. The nearly-half moon hung low on the horizon, seemingly parallel to our position on the hill and shining brightly. All over the valley from south to north, we were treated with various, grand fireworks displays that welcomed the dawning of the New Year. All of them bursting around the moon. It was amazing!
This morning, however, it’s hard to believe that today is January 1, 2012, given that the view from my front porch is this glorious sight:
It is a day of stunning beauty that leaves me breathless with the intensity of the clarity and splendor. I do believe that that is a good omen for this year… that it is meant to be the year of clarity and splendor.
Welcome, 2012! I look forward to seeing what you bring!
