The final hours of the year, the last grains of sand falling through the hourglass, and I’ll be sleeping soundly. I do not plan to stay up to greet 2026 or to eulogize 2025. A glass of whiskey, a toast, and bed is the plan. It has been a hard year; it has been a good year. I have tomorrow off of work, and so I hope to work on something meaningful.
I have had at least two major accomplishments this year. I fulfilled a lifelong dream of buying a book, in a real bookstore, with my writing in it [read more], and I have self-published a collection of my short stories. Less publicly, I have written a fourth part for Eden, I have outlined many stories that had been just free floating ideas, and *mostly* outlined a vampire novel which is to be a sequel to a vampire novella I hope to publish next year—oh yeah—I’ve got a vampire novella all ready to publish next year. I have written 28K words on a new project I’m excited for, a fantasy story about dragon hunters.
I feel like I’m forgetting something important in that whole list. There are more personal tragedies and triumphs I’ll not list here, but I’ll also mention that this year I began taking Latin classes, fulfilling, or at least working toward, a lifelong goal of becoming educated.
It has been a year, a full year, and I feel rather ragged and torn by it. As the last vespers are sung, I feel broken.
O Lord, be with me in this and in what comes next. My God, be by my side; let me walk with You. I am full of terror and not faith. Find that seed and grow it. Make my heart your garden. Tear out the stones and thorns and let Your abundance rejoice. I have no other hope but You.
Thank You for this year and all that has come with it. I praise You in both the pain and the blessing. Let Your name be upon me and my life. Lead me into Your holiness. Guide me with Your love. Be my God.
I bless Your name, now and forever, amen.
Tale Told 