I gravitate toward a sense of reflection each year on New Year's Eve.
I'm reminded of Mater's quotation in the movie Cars: "Ain't no need to watch where I'm going. Just need to know where I've been."
While time is progressing on to a new year, in the spirit of REO Speedwagon's lyrics, "Keep on rolling", I think there's wisdom in Mater's insight about having an awareness of where we've been that drives us while we move forward.
I feel that I can draw from memories as I go forth into a new year by meaningfully finishing a concluding year.
And so, in accordance with the Spanish custom of consuming 12 grapes for the occasion of New Year's, I here reflect on 2022:
Grape #2: Traveling to California had so many wonderful experiences, like the beach, the Pacific Surfliner, and visiting Tijuana, my first time in Mexico.
Grape #3: Going to Jamestown for Lucy sightseeing was a great way to connect with my Grandma Dottie in the wake of her passing, who introduced me to I Love Lucy, and get the insider look at a show I enjoy so much.
Grape #4: I had some great opportunities to get involved with the OPRF History Museum. In September, I participated in a presentation about the creation of the present-day middle schools in Oak Park. On October 15, I volunteered at the museum for Open House Chicago.
Grape #5: It was an honor to have the exhausting and exhilarating experience of serving as an election judge twice during 2022, especially in teh connections I made with the community, including people I know from Church and specifically in the Religious Education community, including former students.
Grape #6: I am so grateful to God for the opportunity of landing my new job in the Klinck Memorial Library of Concordia University Chicago.
Grape #7: September 4 was a special day as I joined in the celebration for Mom and Dad's 40th anniversary.
Grape #8: As I partied like it was 1991 all over again on April 28, the anniversary of my baptism, I had double reason to celebrate on account of the priest who baptized me, Father Pacocha, who that day marked the 60th anniversary of his ordination. I was blessed to attend a special Mass and celebration held in his honor on April 23 at St. Eugene.
Grape #9: I went back to St. Teresa's on September 18 to serve a meal for the college students, which was a great way to give back to that community by ministering to the current students, and for me to reconnect with a significant place in my life.
Grape #10: It was such a memorable day to mark 30th anniversary of when my family moved to our beloved home on Clarence Avenue in Oak Park. It was truly all I envisioned it to be.
Grape #11: I had many friends visit me here in Oak Park in 2022. Rogenique and Roy visited on New Year's weekend after we attended the wedding of Heather and Zach. To bring it full circle, the Ruggabers visited me earlier today on New Year's Eve. These were great visits as I brought together significant parts of my life. And I was glad Matthew came during Memorial Day weekend to take up my offer of accompanying me on a CAC tour, as I got two free walking tour tickets for volunteering during OHC 2021.
Grape #12: I made so many great connections in Religious Education this year. The Confirmation Masses that I attended earlier this year on February 19 and March 12 were two very special days. Notably, the first Confirmation Mass happened on the final weekend of the 2022 Winter Olympics. I saw parallels between both events: Those involved in each had the opportunity to do like is sung in the song "I Believe" by Nikki Yanofsky--written for the 2010 Winter Olympics--to stand tall and make the world proud by joining together as one, the powerful invincible force by which we achieve highly--and in the case of the Confirmation Mass, it is the power of the Holy Spirit bringing us together that enables us to do the greater things that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel according to St. John. It is a great honor to be in the trenches, so to speak, and participate in the formation of these young people to grow in relationship with God and live more deeply in the mystery of God we realize by faith.
In these and so many other ways, 2022 had ample opportunities for me to embrace what I hold dear and what is most important in life, timeless values that shall persist into 2023 and beyond.
Thanks be to God for the works He did in our lives and circumstances in 2022.
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