Good afternoon and Happy New Year!
As 2021 comes to a close, I thought I would take a few minutes to review what has happened in my life this year. Since it’s been a pretty uneventful year, this should be fairly quick.
I receieved my BA in Creative Writing and English in September 2021. (My History degree will officially be conferred after the start of the new year, in case you are wondering.)
I published a fiction short story this year on April 9. You can read “Down the Country Road” here if you want to.
As part of the W.R.I.T.E. Challenge, my group published a non-fiction piece with the Penmen Review on April 5. You can read “6 Do’s and Don’ts for Starting a New Writing Career” here.
Within my family, we added a new granddaughter and lost a grandson.
My father continues his fight with Stage 4 cancer. We hope he will continue to fight for years to come.
There were many highs and lows in my personal life this year. Losing Donovan was, by far, the worst of the worst. Gaining Meadow was, by far, the biggest highlight. There are many things I am grateful for this year. Being able to spend some time with my children and my grandchildren is a joy to me, and I look forward to spending the first few months of the new year with them before I return to college for my MFA.
Many of my friends and family lost people this year. We gained a few more babies as well. Life moves on, regardless of what we want. I can’t help but think of the phrase, “Time heals all wounds.”
As we close out this year, I am thinking about several people very close to me who are nursing particularly painful wounds from lost children. Nothing I say can take the hurt away. I can only pray that time works swiftly for them.
Let’s all hope for a better 2022. Full of more success than failure, more wins than loses, more love than hate, and more happiness than sadness.
Happy New Year everyone!
Cathy Marie Bown
Cathy Marie Bown 