Newspapers do it, TV stations do it. Websites do it. Organizations do it. If they do it, then I can do it too! That is – write my very own Year-in-Review. Of course, my review is pretty limited. It relates mainly to what has happened to me. It does involve national and international events, but more about my reactions to them – not a broad commentary on their impact. So, the biggest part of my review is about personal stuff. 

A couple of happy, big family happenings. My older granddaughter became a senior in college, grandson graduated from high school and is now a university freshman, and my younger granddaughter had her bat mitzvah. She will be in high school in 2025. These kids are thoughtful and kind. 

I have had a few minor health issues – including achy hips – but fortunately have gotten through everything. However, these episodes make me even more aware of the passage of time and the challenges that arise as each year of getting older forges ahead. I clearly acknowledge that I have no control over this. In the meantime, I have lunch with friends, do Zoom reunions with my old South Providence Girls, continue to write, and spend wonderful hours with family. 

Unfortunately, a number of people I care about have had serious medical diagnoses, lost relatives, or died. The rest are achieving exactly what I am achieving – getting up each morning and plodding along.

In terms of my writing, I have made good headway on my next book. This one is about my mother who was born in 1908 and died a little more than twenty years ago. She was in many ways an ordinary woman for her generation, growing up in the Roaring Twenties and managing through the Great Depression. What was unique about her was her positive and progressive views of life. She believed that women should have their own money to spend as they see fit, and not have to ask anyone else for some cash. Writing about my mom has been a joyful challenge and I hope my final manuscript gives her the respect and recognition she deserves. In the past year, I have managed to post an article on my blog almost every month. This is the last one for 2024. People still tell me that they find some comfort in the things I write about, so I am very inspired to keep at it. 

On a broader level, this year’s political scene has ended up being a significant downer for me. The real-life conditions that I had focused on for decades, such as access to women’s reproductive health care, have become increasingly at risk. I am dismayed at the appalling backslide after so many years of human rights progress. Occurrences around the world and here in the States have made me worry that antisemitism will again become overt – if it hasn’t already. What I experienced as a child is nothing compared to what others in Europe went through so many decades ago, but a life-long, under-the-radar concern about my safety became embedded at an early age. 

However, in spite of these last dark, ominous thoughts, I know that the only thing I can do is keep doing what I have been doing: advocating for my personal ‘causes,’ writing about things that are meaningful to others, and caring about the people I love. 

So, there you have it: My Year-in-Review.