Rant #1,580: Looking Back, Looking Forward

As 2015 draws to a close, I am trying to think of the highlights of the year for myself and my family.

And unlike 2014, I cannot really think of anything that really and truly stands out.

In 2014, the highlights all involved my son, who graduated high school and his BOCES program. Those were great graduations, and he worked hard to achieve his certificates from each school.

The lowlight really was a lowlight, as my family and I were involved in a terrible car accident. A kid went through a stop sign on a rainy road and T-boned us, forcing my car to flip over.

We were lucky that we still had our lives after that incident, so yes, that really is one of the all-time lowlights, not just for 2014, but for ever.

How about 2015? What happened this year on the positive side?

It is very hard to think of something specifically that was really good, but I think if I had to pick one thing, it is that my son finally got a job after months and months of looking.

Being a kid with a learning disability is difficult, and looking for a job is next to impossible. Few will give you a chance, and the fact of the matter is that we had to go through a special program in order for him to get this job.

But he has the job, has been doing it for about six months, and while it is not a full-time position, for now, it is good enough.

So that was the highlight—watching my son get his foot in the door, somewhere.

The car crash was an obvious lowlight last year, but as for this year, every time I get the bill for the car I bought to replace the destroyed one is a lowlight for sure.

But something specifically … nothing. My wife and I both have had our aches and pains with growing older, my son and daughter continue to have their own personal growing pains, but really, nothing stands out.

Perhaps the lowlight is another one involving my son, when the government temporarily took away his benefits, and I had to go to the Social Security office and fight like the dickens to have them restored.

That was not fun, but it had to be done.

My car getting scratched just a few days back was another, but compared to last year, well, this one doesn’t even rate.

I can’t think of any specific ones, so I am going to leave it at that.

How about what is in store for myself and my family for 2016?

It is actually a big year for us all.

My wife turns 60 in November, my son turns 21 in August, my parents turn 85--my mom in March and my father in November--I will be at my place of work for 20 years in March, and another major milestone is that my parents will be married 60 years in just a few days, on January 22.

That is a long time, and we are having a party to celebrate—rather, they are having the party, throwing it themselves at a nearby restaurant, and it should be fun.

I expect that I will have something for my wife—who looks about 20 years younger than her actual age—when her turn comes around, and we will definitely have something for our son.

I know I am probably missing something, but that is all I can think about for 2016 for my family and I.

What about your situations? What will 2016 be like for you and yours?

We always have to think that the new year will be better than the previous year, and I am thinking that right now, too.

Whether it will be or not is another thing, and several factors will determine whether it is or it isn’t.

But whatever the case, it is full steam ahead into 2016, and I am hoping for the best year ever, much like I always do.

I really hope it turns out right for myself and my family, and for everyone.