We Made It

When I was much, much younger I avoided watching the retrospectives on television of the year just passed.  I remember not the year but the emotion such broadcasts evoked and I gave up watching them.  Being young I chose to attend New Year’s Eve parties where everyone waited with baited breath for the ball to drop in New York City—the iconic symbol of the year ending and the hope for the New Year beginning.

 

Everyone would join hands and unite in singing Auld Lang Syne, but do we really know its meaning?  Should those we knew and loved be forgotten and never thought of again?  Should old times be forgotten?  The lyrics say we shouldn’t.  We’ll remember those times and those people.  We’ll raise a toast to them.  We’ll keep them close and we’ll remember those who won’t be entering the New Year with us.

In the YouTube® video I created, which is embedded below, I chose pictures that captured the soul of a moment in time; happiness or sadness, celebration or sympathy.

From the horrifying earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan to the Tucson shootings that shocked our nation, from the tornadoes that cut a swath of destruction and death in Alabama and Missouri to the love story of Will and Kate, from the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya to the shocking deaths at the Indiana State Fair, from the launch of NASA’s last space shuttle to the solemnity of the 10^th anniversary of September 11^th, it represents a reflection of the passing year.

Interspersed throughout the video are photos of notable persons who left their mark on the world.  I chose pictures that were flattering because that’s the way I wanted to remember them.  I’ve also included photos of jubilant military servicemen returning home from war.  We owe them so much.  And we should pause to remember those not coming home.

So, we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne.

Happy New Year everyone.  Happy New Year and thank you for your readership.

Linked at Pirate's Cove and Sentry Journal.  Many thanks to you both.