At the end of December, in the quiet woods, not a single leaf stirred. The squirrels and birds had gone silent. The water stood still. Breath slowed. Fingers tingled. Cells hummed. Memories stirred, rising into consciousness like mist. Ephemeral at first. Then the misty memories took shape and began to flow like water over the falls, flooding senses, stirring up emotions, rippling into visions of the past – memories of a year lived sometimes in slow motion, but, in the end, gone by too fast. A year filled with wonder and joy, loss and heartache, living, loving, and learning.

Mr. EndlessSeeker and I began 2023 exploring Yellowstone National Park in winter. A magical and marvelous experience filled with wildlife, snowy winter days, and brilliant, compassionate people. We moved on through the early summer caring for dad – managing his last days of life and witnessing his painful death. Those days flowed as slow as molasses, sapped us of all energy, and hurled us over a cliff. Fall ushered in a very personal lesson about grief, anxiety, and mental health and made us more grateful than ever for the true friends and family we know we can always count on. Along the way, we had deeply meaningful conversations with our kids and friends about the state of the world and events that occurred all during the year. The joyful end of our year saw our son and his beautiful wife get married. Then, as winter began and 2023 came to a close, I read three completely unrelated things that funneled my misty memories and profound experiences into a river of deep reflection, prickly self examination, and an unexpected realization.

I’ve tried for over a week to put that realization into words here, to try to eloquently explain some of the things I learned, reflected upon, and came to know about myself and the world last year, but I can’t. It’s just been too difficult, too raw. Today, one of my mentors basically gave me permission to ignore ‘the 2023 highlight reels, and the New Year goal-setting’, and just rest! And so I am. I’m going to stay quiet here for a while longer and continue resting in the comforting darkness of winter (a luxury I am painfully aware many people in the world don’t have right now). In the meantime, enjoy the beginning of your new year. Reflect on the past, but bring all the light you can into each day.

When I come out of hibernation again in a couple of weeks, my hope is to begin an in-depth exploration of Peace, something that I feel we all need more of in the world and in our lives these days. So, if you have questions or topics related to peace that you’d like for me to write about, please share them in the comments below and we’ll explore Peace together.