2024 Begone you horrid miserable year. 2025, please be gentle.

[jknaus]

I can hardly wait for this year to finish and be done and pray and hope 2025 is a better year. Started 2024 with some strife at work just in time for my younger brother to go into hospital and die a week later. Then being the Executor of the will and trying to do the job from another Province and with other issues tested me. Started getting things under control in the summer to have our oldest cat Abbott get sick and $3000 later have to be put down. Then washer and dryer packed it in and more money gone. Finally things going better and Father in Law gets sick and hospitalized only to pass away. Wife spent a couple of months at home seeing him off and then helping to clean up his house. A nice quiet Christmas and yesterday one of our young cats, Sam was listless and not eating or drinking. $2000 later after having surgery to remove a 12 inch piece of ribbon from his intestine we are on the cusp of a new year. Just hoping nothing else will happen in the next 18 hours and for 2025 to usher in a better year. I guess if I get the job that just opened in the next few weeks I will know. If I dont then chances are I'll be let go in current job as I'm too broken. So now it the good ole Hurry Up and Wait.
James

 

[Barney]

Praying for a better year for you, plastic brother. Our year was rough finacillly and Carol is the executor of an estate, but nowhere bad as your's.

 

[moon puppy]

Hang in there James. 2020 was like that for us, then 21...24 wasn't bad. Neither of us had ambulance rides and we got some major bills paid off so we're able to squirrel away more money. Cindy loves retirement and I love her being home. My WFH situation keeps getting better, corp dictated that WFH people need to show up at their office at least 2 days a week but several of us in IT got exceptions considering several of us are no where close to a local office nor do we have space in those local facilities. Gotta hate it.
Planning on work bench upgrade soon but I got to get the roof of the garden shed fixed. Considering the region is still recovering from Helena there's little chance I have to get a contractor to git'er done for me.
It's gotta get better!!

 

[Rhino]

People may try to tell you "Don't worry, everything will be all right." It won't. I am not the kind of friend that will try to blow sunshine up your backside.

When our loved ones pass away, it is never "all right" again. That space that was filled by your son and your Dad-in-law will never be the same. "Normal" becomes something different. Of all people, the author of Doctor Who, Jamie Anderson, once wrote "Grief, I've learned, is really just love. All of that unspent love gathers in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and the hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go."

Going forward is key. You don't forget and get over it, you go forward a little everyday. "The pain passes, but the beauty remains". A some guy named Renoir said that, I think. A fact I dislike is that the only constant in Life is change. I don't like change.

If your Cold Lake house is snug and warm, and your sweetie is still dear and lovey, your pantry has satisfying food in it and your health is almost pretty good, there are still things to be grateful for. "Gettin' old ain't fer pussies. you gotta be tough." Sam Elliot.
These phrases bring me comfort as Teresa and I "move forward" from sorrowful events in our own little chunk of this World.
They make me sound wise. I am not. I just remember lots of things.

On this New Year's eve, I offer a toast.

Here's to the Men who cheat, steal and lie.
When you cheat, you cheat death.
When you steal, you steal a lady's heart.
When you lie, you lie to save a friend.

I believe 2025 will be vast improvement over the last 4 years here in "The Colonies".
Getting criminals that set people on fire out of our country (in tiny pieces) will be a dandy start.
Keep yer stick on the ice. I'm pullin' for ya.

 

[Impisi]

Well in Germany we say "Ich drücke dir die Daumen" (I'm pressing my thumbs for you) whitch I think is the english "crossing fingers" - So I'm pressing al my thumbs for you James, all 4 that 2025 becomes a better year.