2024 was a hard year as my family walked alongside hurting loved ones. 2025 was worse. More loved ones struggled. Two left this earth. Unimaginable hardships. Sharp dips in my own health.
This led to reduced Christmas activities. One exception? We sang more, and we’re still singing.
Another exception? I sent over one hundred Christmas cards. I haven’t sent cards since 2020. One result? A phone call from a faraway high school friend I hadn’t spoken with in decades. She wanted to hear my voice. We talked from 8:00 pm that Saturday night until 1:38 am the next morning.
On January 2nd, my husband, son, and I sang Auld Lang Syne—translated days gone by in standard English. It was a first. Our holiday songbooks are usually packed away before January. Auld Lang Syne is a Scottish song. The first line means for the sake of old times.
2024 and 2025 were years of Auld Lang Syne. Because of our shared history—for the sake of old times—we connected with and walked alongside dear ones we hadn’t seen much or recently.
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet for Auld Lang Syne.
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