— Here we are, just a few days away from closing the books on another year and ushering in a new one, and most importantly to some are those first three words — here we are — still.

I am of course referring to all the brouhaha and speculation about the world coming to an end because the Mayan calendar ended Dec. 21, 2012. I was not in the least bit worried for two reasons. First because the Lord said we will not know the day or time and because from the 1970s till today I’ve lived through many “last day on earth” scares. Second because I had it on Mayan authority that the Mayans did not believe the Hollywood version of the end of the calendar. On a cruise and excursion to Mayan ruins a couple of years ago our Mayan ancestry guide said the Mayan people believe it means the beginning of a new age of

enlightenment — a time of peace and prosperity.

Sounds great to me — bring it on!



2012 was another eventful year — personally, nationally and globally. It started out great with the birth of my first grandbaby at the end of January. We bonded instantly and he has been the light of my life. I also bonded with and grew closer to his siblings, my older grandchildren.

One of my old childhood friends gave me a great compliment by saying, “You look great! Being a grandma agrees with you — there’s a light in your eyes again that had been dulled by years of being in pain.”

In February I made my first trip to Vegas for a business meeting but I did get to see the Beatles Cirque de Solie show (for free) and that was fun.     

There was also loss as my former mother-in-law passed away soon after my grandson’s birth and one of my half brothers passed while I was in Vegas. I made it home in time to get the news and get back on a plane to Maryland. We also lost longtime friends — mine and my brothers and sisters.

In March I crossed off a “bucket list” item when I went to see Riverdance on their farewell tour, treating my son and daughter-in-law as well. My eldest son got his teaching license, got married and moved to Arizona to teach all in a two month span from May-July.

Their latest news is they are packing up and moving again, this time to Western Maryland where he was offered a position as a director of a school for young adults. That will mean they will be an eight to 10 hour drive away versus the current 30-hour drive. I’m happy with that news and they’ll be about two hours from my oldest brother and his family.

Summer was cool and went quickly and July brought our “candle conference,” which is always exciting. In August an unplanned trip to Texas with my best friend allowed for an opportunity to visit my family there and it was great.



Business-wise it was a somewhat challenging year for my candle business, but finished strong. I began a new venture with a friend and my leader in the candle biz—we partnered in starting a women’s business networking group and it took off and grew very quickly. And I had the pleasure and honor of covering some interesting stories, including a Spin-A-Thon event to raise funds and awareness about the issue of young girls being sold into slavery; the first “Farm to Table” event for Family Christian Development Center held at the Upper Room Banquet Hall at Coppes Commons; the five-year anniversary of the Nappanee tornado and the large food packing operation held at Nappanee Missionary Church to feed the hungry, just to name a few.

Nationally (and globally) the still-struggling economy, the great divide in our country, lack of available jobs and the endless election were the biggest news along with the tragedies of mass shootings of innocent people. There didn’t seem to be a lot of good in the national and international news, but I know there was good—we just hear more of the bad news and unfortunately the bad stays more prevalent in our memories.

In this latest unbelievable tragedy of killing innocent children the ray of hope for me was the conviction of faith of the parents. My prayer for them was that they’d somehow be able to turn to God and not away during this time of grief and from the interviews I saw that’s exactly what they’ve done.

So in many ways closing the books on 2012 and moving forward will feel good. I always look forward to the New Year with so much hope and anticipation, expecting good things. The uncertainty of what the New Year will hold is exciting.

What I am certain of is that there will be good times and bad times, gains and losses, heartbreak and joy, because that’s life. My hope is that the good, the gains and the joy will far outweigh the rest not only for me and my family but also for all of you.

Have a happy, healthy and safe New Year!



Denise Fedorow is a correspondent and columnist for The Goshen News. Her column appears every other week. While looking forward to the New Year, she said the years go faster every year so she strives to enjoy each day, counting the blessings and (hopefully) learning the lessons each day brings.