2018 is in the books, and 2019 has opened. I won’t bore with another look back. I did that in a prior post. Looking forward is what one does on New Years Day. Or remember past New Years.

My wife and I celebrate our forty-fifth anniversary in a few days. Eighteen of those shared while I was on active duty. 

Celebrating New Years

We celebrated some memorable New Year’s Eves. Memorable in ways beyond the amaretto toast after the first kiss of the New Year. That is a topic for another post. On with this one.

It was 1983 and we were on the cusp of welcoming 1984. My family and I were stationed at the Naval Security Group Activity, Galeta Island, Panama. We lived in waterfront housing. We often watched the ships waiting to transit the Panama Canal from our windows. Our son was six and daughter was two years old.

A few friends joined together to celebrate ringing in the new year. My wife and I expected my son to crash before midnight, but he didn’t. He wasn’t the only child who stayed up.

Midnight arrived right on time, not a minute early or late, and we celebrated the New Year.

The Kids Celebrated

Suddenly, there was the loudest noise coming from the lawn between the water and the housing. We couldn’t stop laughing at my son and friends parading while banging on an assortment of pots and pans. The clamor defies words to describe it.

Last night as midnight approached, my wife questioned if my grandchildren who live next door would parade the neighborhood bangin on pots and pans. I couldn’t help laughing at the memory which stays with us.

No, they did not.

We were often sad at being away from family on the holidays but created memories that tempered the disappointment and last a lifetime.

Do you have a holiday memory to share using the comment form? I would love to hear it. God bless and give you a safe and happy new year!