Looking Back and Looking Forward

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This was a momentous year.


And life goes on.

A wonderful thing about occasions of great moment is that they give you perspective. For instance, I learned that things in my life will come and go, and that is all right. We only really need a few constant things. In my case, it's my family and my love for reading.

And so, that is what 2009 looked like; I now look forward to 2010. And I am truly grateful, reader of this blog, that you were part of it, whether I knew about you or not.

Here's an excerpt of T.S. Eliot's Little Gidding. It's something I used to show to my class when I wanted to talk about beginnings and endings and the journey of life. Let this be my New Year's greeting to you.

What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make and end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from.

...

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.


A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2010 TO YOU ALL!


Comments

Tonet said…
I loved this piece. My eldest son, who you probably remember, was devastated, almost to the point of bitterness, when their house went under. They did not save anything. They salvaged some clothes and possessions afterwards. Anything made of paper was destroyed. And many small items, eg. school medals, were washed away forever.

I find it tough to get him on a recovery road. I spent a small fortune on amazon.com (I chuckle at your charts, where in the world do you get pre-owned titles that are on your list to acquire??) to rebuild his library, including books out of print.

Your T.S. Eliot quote is spot on, since all of us readers are explorers anyway, and so was your own line, which now adorns your profile page. The one about constants vs. other things that can come and go.

Do have a great New Year.

Tonet
www.tonetcarlo.wordpress.com
January 1, 2010 at 1:11 AM
Peter S. said…
Hi, Honey! It looks like 2009 was a significant year for you as well. Let's just hope that 2010 will be bring more blessings for us. I wish you more books and reading for this year! Happy New Year, Honey!
January 1, 2010 at 12:06 PM
fantaghiro23 said…
@Tonet - Of course I remember Carlo. And David.:) I hope they're better now. Oh, and you can get really good second hand books from Book Sale, as long as you're willing to go on your hands and knees, literally.:) And I hope you have a wonderful year ahead, too. Regards to your boys!

@Peter - Hi! One of the blessings this year was meeting people like you. Happy New Year!
January 1, 2010 at 9:44 PM
Anonymous said…
What a year for you! I admire your spirit. I do hope that 2010 brings you much joy and prosperity.
January 2, 2010 at 12:41 AM
fantaghiro23 said…
@Stephanie - Thank you! Whatever 2010 brings, there'll always be joy.:)
January 2, 2010 at 2:14 AM
Anonymous said…
Happy New Year! May this year be the best of the best. :)
January 2, 2010 at 11:16 AM
fantaghiro23 said…
Thanks, J. Kaye! Happy New Year to you, too!
January 2, 2010 at 5:43 PM
Blodeuedd said…
Happy New Year!
I wish you a wonderful year filled with great books
January 3, 2010 at 6:04 AM
fantaghiro23 said…
Thank you, Blodeuedd! I wish you the same.:)
January 3, 2010 at 11:30 AM
Aarti said…
Good luck with 2010! I hope it brings you more happiness than 2009, and I know that you can't bring back what you lost, but I hope you have many years to make more memories to keep.
January 4, 2010 at 11:54 AM
Patrick said…
Happy new year Honey! Sorry I missed out on the things you've gone through these past few months. I'm just trying to get back again on the book blogging scene. Hehe! Wishing you all the best this 2010! ^_^
January 5, 2010 at 2:26 AM
fantaghiro23 said…
@Aarti - Thanks so much. I'm confident that more good things are around the corner, book-related or otherwise.:)

@Patrick - Not to worry, Patrick. I was absent from the blogging scene for a while, too. I'm glad you're back!
January 5, 2010 at 3:30 AM
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