By G. E. Shuman

As I write this, I’m still in the old year of 2017; as strange as it seems to me that the year 2017 could be considered ‘old.’ Such are the ways of deadlines and calendars. Strangely, to you, where, and more importantly ‘when’ you are right now, that’s exactly what it is. The year I am in is a thing of the past to you; a vapor, and only a memory.

Yes, you are in the brand-new year of 2018. In fact, by the time you read these words, you will have already experienced at least a tiny portion of that new year. Some things in the new year, no matter how minute they are, have certainly already happened for you. From where I am, and from ‘when’ I am as I write, I can have no clue about what those things will be, or what they have been. (This is beginning to give me a headache already. How about you?) I can only say that I hope the new year is treating you well, so far. Time is a very funny thing.

I also hope and pray, that this new year that you are already experiencing will bring good things to our nation, and to the world. I am reminded that on September 10th. 2001, the day, and the terrible events we simply universally refer to as 9-11 had not yet occurred. Only a handful of very evil people knew that they would. My own father passed away just two weeks prior to that fateful date and never knew that those buildings came down. Somehow, that seems strange to me.

There is one little-noticed fact that my daughter mentioned to me the other day. It is that on December 31, 2017, and on that day only, every person who is an adult would have been born in the 20th century, and every minor would have been born in the 21st. For you, that day has already passed. For me, it hasn’t, and I hope I remember to contemplate that a bit on December 31, this coming Sunday. Calendars are also funny things.

This column is short. It’s late Thursday night, (actually, early Friday morning,) and I need to meet my last deadline of the year. I also need to go to bed. As the new year approaches for me, I am praying that you are experiencing good things in it already. I’m asking for God’s blessing on this fragile, troubled world of ours. He alone sees our tomorrows or even our next minutes. In many ways, I believe that is a very good thing.

Now, please forgive me. I’m wishing you this somewhat early from my point of view, and a bit late from yours. In either case: “Happy New Year!”