Here’s wishing you all happy holidays. Whether you celebrate Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivas, some other holiday or just like the time of year, I hope all of your wishes and dreams come true.

2025 was a hard year for me, my middle daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer, my youngest was laid off, my oldest had her business decimated, my dog died, my back gave out on me and I got a rash that lasted for months. My house renovation that was supposed to be done in January might be finished in 2026, so I spent the year living in my sister’s basement. But I’m still alive and interested in seeing what 2026 brings.

2025 was not all bad. I drove across country with my brother and my golden retriever Hershey. Took a train trip around the country and visited France ( see my earlier blog posts). I got two new puppies to help me get over Hershey, went to Kentucky for disaster relief with the Red Cross and renewed old friendships and made new ones.

I’ve learned that no matter how bad I have it, there are lots of people who have it worse. Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not the type who goes looking for problems. But life happens and I try to make the best of whatever comes my way. This works for me, but it might not work for you. Let me know how your year went and how you handled your ups and downs.

Here’s wishing you a happy holiday season and a wonderful new year.