A Look Back at 2023

Perhaps this year I will plan a bit better. I hoped to post this year-end recap on January 1, 2024, but life had other plans. If I made New Year’s Resolutions, planning ahead just might be one of mine. Better late than never …

2023 was a year of ups and downs, but that’s what makes life interesting, right? As I looked back at the year in preparation for this blog, I was surprised at what a decent year it was. I found myself smiling at so many of the memories. I truly believe that there was more good memories than bad last year.

2023 was a year of accomplishments for me:

• I read more books last year than I have in a very long time. There were so many good ones (many of them I reviewed here)! 
• I completed a full semester of my Bible classes and am ready to start the 5th semester (of 9). 
• Then there were the projects my father-in-law and I completed. We turned a closet into a nook, put in an entire new deck on the porch, and built a fence for the puppy. 
• I also completed a course on Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
• I participated in 12 installments of Turntable Talk for Dave Ruch’s A Sound Day site
• I contributed a few songs to my friend Nancy’s The Rhythm Section site
• I taught a couple classes on Sleep Medicine at a local college
• I wrote my 1000th blog

There were a lot of new things in 2023 for me:

• Sam and I both got new vehicles
• I got a new schedule at work when I switched to afternoons
• We got a new driveway and sidewalks because of that construction mess on our street
• We added to our family with our new puppy, Daisy
• A new diagnosis of ADHD and long term depression for me. This brings many challenges.

There were so many wonderful times with family and friends:

• Ella celebrated birthday #3
• Andrew celebrated birthday #2
• Dante turned 21
• Dimitri turned 16 (and I golfed with him for his birthday)
• I celebrated my birthday with a princess party theme (picked out by Ella) and wore a tiara!
• Our family enjoyed a nice day at the beach in Caseville
• We enjoyed a great day on the Halloween Train with Aunt Margaret and Uncle Walt
• My brother and I got to spend some time together thanks to his visits up to Michigan (He even contributed a nice guest blog)
• Sam and I enjoyed a night out with a nice dinner and then seeing a Golden Girls play
• My radio buddy, Cam, who I hadn’t seen in decades, came up and we had a great time reminiscing over coffee
• My Goddaughter, Marissa, got married
• The family enjoyed a night at the Detroit Zoo enjoying their Christmas Lights display
• I had all my kids over on Christmas Eve and it was nice to have them all together. It may sound crazy, but we all sat on the couch and watch the Christmas episode of Shaun the Sheep and laughed like crazy together.
• I also got to enjoy my first ever Daddy Daughter Dance with Ella.

Andrew certainly kept us busy this year. He’s been through the ringer. This year he’s had an MRI, an EEG, a few Sleep Studies, throat surgery, a swallow study, received a diagnosis of mild cerebral palsy and is now wearing braces on his legs. Between doctor appointments, he’s been doing speech therapy, and physical and occupational therapy. We spent a lot of time in the car this year. Thankfully, we continue to work on things and his prognosis is looking great.

I was finally able to hold the amazing portrait of Ella and Andrew in my hands this year. My friend Belita sent me many photos as the portrait progressed and my excitement built with each one. It is so beautiful. I need to get a frame for it, so I can hang it up on the wall.

As a bonus, the Detroit Lions have given me the best season I have been able to witness in forever!. 

In 2023 I wrote 274 blog posts and this site had almost 31,000 views. As I looked back at the most popular posts, I was surprised to see that there was a new “Most Viewed” blog. The 6th blog I ever wrote for this site somehow always was the most viewed blog every year. It was a blog I wrote with some of Red Buttons’ funniest lines:

“Never Got a Dinner”!

That blog came in at the third most viewed this year (Over 700 views). The second most viewed blog was a holiday themed blog about one of my favorite Christmas specials:

The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

The Year Without a Santa Claus blog just beat the Never Got a Dinner blog (750 views) The new champion, and most viewed blog this year was also holiday themed and got an amazing 4841 views!

My Top 20 Favorite Christmas Characters

I have to wonder why it got so many views. I do think it is cool, though. 

As a loyal reader and visitor to this blog, I want you to know how much I appreciate you. Thank you for reading and commenting on my posts. Thank you for making 2023 something to remember.

As we continue in the new year, I pray it is a good one for you and me. That being said, I’m going to do something that I really have never done before on here. 

My faith is something that you are aware of. I am always open to a good conversation about my faith. I make it no secret that I believe the Bible and am a Christian. I understand that you may not be. That is your choice and I am not in the position to judge anyone for what you believe. That being said, I watched a message from a pastor friend that really was powerful. I’m going to post the video here on this blog. Feel free to watch if you wish. If you don’t want to watch it, that’s ok. Consider this the end of this blog post. 

If you do want to watch, let me set it up for you:

In the 1990’s, William Strauss and Neil Howe wrote a book about the historical cycles in America. It was called The Fourth Turning.

It is really a fascinating read! Bryan Ross taught a message about the New Year and if the cycles of history continue to follow the pattern, 2024 could bring some issues. His message was full of information and really helped me to be at peace and ready for what history might cycle back our way.

Keep in mind that the book itself is not a biblical book about prophecy or anything like that. It looks at the cycles of history. Pastor Ross presents this info honestly and then answers the question of how we should prepare for it. 

Thanks for reading.