Happy New Year 2011! When I was a child and through my early 20s, I would hear older folks (like my parents and grandparents) commenting on how quickly the year had gone by. I just couldn’t relate. There was always something in the future I was eagerly awaiting (my birthday, Christmas, summer vacation) or some less-than-pleasant or -exciting situation I was currently in (school, some awful project or job) that seemed to make time crawl by. Now, with my own daughters young women themselves, I much more readily relate to those relatives (most, sadly, no longer with us) who marveled at how quickly the younger generation was growing up and the seasons were flying by. Now the challenge isn’t to wait out unpleasant situations but to make the most of every day as it zips past. However, I still have a tendency to look forward eagerly to upcoming special events while slighting my ordinary, day-to-day life. For instance, today I’m celebrating the New Year with a gathering of three generations of my family at my sister’s house. These are always fun get-togethers where we share food and stories – old and new – which bind our histories together. I have an exciting trip in the fall to look forward to, but I already know from past experience that this homey, simple family event will one day shine as brightly in my favorite memories of 2011 as that exotic vacation. I wish you a happy, prosperous, peaceful New Year, and may you relish and remember each bright moment of it. — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor