It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine!

Welcome back, faithful readers. Or rather, I’ll say “it’s good to be back.” A fair bit has happened since my last post. Last November I made the difficult decision to end my career with a company where I’ve worked for nearly thirty-five years and was able to take some much-needed time off. But let’s come back to that one in a moment.

Then in December, my sister suffered a serious accident the day after Christmas, fracturing her skull and resulting in a brain injury. Nearly six months later and she’s still recovering – slowly. In the US, the fires of political division and anger continue to rage on, not to mention the actual fires that ravaged southern California in January. As for Shannon, she spent a few months with a banking company while I rebooted my career.  She, too, was happy to move on.

We spent much of February into March trading a respiratory infection around the house; I’m thankful that one’s behind us. But all is not bad news. I resumed my career in a different industry with a new company, and that’s been very refreshing to work with some incredibly smart and positive people doing cool things. We’ve also celebrated family birthdays across three generations in that same span of time since my last post.

What about Sam? Earlier this month, he graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Computer Science and is looking to take on his own next adventure! We were also fortunate to share his celebration with our extended family – something we miss due to our relatives being spread so far apart from each other. We’re proud of Sam’s accomplishments and are excited to see where his talents and abilities will continue to take him.

There’s been a lot of change in our lives in the past six months – some things ending while others begin. This is certainly far more than I’m used to, but it’s been interesting to see who has remained in contact during this time, and who has decided to unravel the ties to the past. Change is never easy for me, but I’m actually surprised at how “not” nostalgic I’ve been during this time.

The world seems more dangerous, unfamiliar, and overwhelming than ever before.  Each of us is moving through this time of unparalleled change in our lives, and with more uncertainty that will surely follow. But for me, I am focused on my renewed communication with family, the personal accomplishments that Shannon, Sam, and I have achieved, and the friendships that I’ve forged during this time.  Those things have been pretty great, and I am grateful for them.