what a difference ten years make

Here we are, looking at the end of another decade (although, technically, it doesn't end for another year, but explaining why isn't worth the energy).

Ten years ago, I was feeling good because it appeared that world peace was about to break out. The Soviet Union was gone, the Berlin Wall was down, the Pope had visited Cuba, and the Parliament of Scotland opened for the first time since 1707. Well, OK, that last item wasn't all that relevant to my false sense that the world was in very good shape, but it helped.

Wow, what a fool I was for being so naive and misinformed. The news media will be full of stories over the next few days detailing all that went wrong in the past decade, ranging from the disputed presidential election in Florida in 2000 to the disasters of September 11, 2001, and downhill from there.

However, on a personal level, this decade has been good to us. Our children finished undergraduate school, and two earned master's degrees. They are all gainfully employed except our son, who's in the third year of dental school. My wife is a ten-year breast cancer survivor, and she's still employed despite budget cuts where she works. I am on the verge of being declared a lymphoma survivor. Better yet, we've been given two beautiful and healthy grandchildren, with a third due in April.

I hit the ripe old age of 65 this year, which is remarkable because a lot of us children of the Cold War never really believed we'd live this long. I've now worked for my employer longer than the three other cities I've worked for in the past and plan to stay on for a few more years if they'll have me. I can't retire soon; I need to pay for my wife's new kitchen and my new Corvette!

To my faithful few regular readers, and the occasional random reader, I wish you nothing but good in 2010 and every year afterwards. May God have mercy on us all.