 And then there’s hope.
It’s what we hold onto, right? Hope for a better day. I’m a big believer in hope. If I have the willingness to accept whatever comes along, my hope for tomorrow strengthens.  A quick look at the calendar reveals it’s Dec. 29, and that can mean only one thing:
End-of-year photo page. This is one of JWC’s most anticipated blogs of the year, so we’re trying a new twist.  A tale from years gone by:
It was 2006, freshly sober. Six months off the bottle, I was very wary as Christmas and New Year’s approached. New Year’s Eve was on a Saturday, and I was missing my former best friend. There was a 12-step meeting that night in Holder, and then the gang headed to a friend’s house for a sober party.  Happy Monday! Welcome to year-in-review time.
I’ve approached this on numerous fronts. One is the simple top-10 story list. Another is to compile a blog from reader suggestions. Another is to comb through a year’s worth of blogs, take detailed notes, and write a timeline of 2025. That ain’t happening. So, I’m going the tried-and-true JWC route. Meandering…  “Do you believe in something that you’ve never seen before?” — The “Wedding Song.”
I can’t sleep. It’s either late last night or early this morning. Frankly, I’ve lost my sense of time. For example, I can’t for the life of me remember a thing about Dec. 17, 2015. Can’t remember what I did that day, or even if I got out of bed. Probably covered a zoning meeting.  This is what I’m talking about.
That thing I rail about constantly — citizens and local government coming together for a common cause — this is what I had in mind. In fact, it’s fair to say that tonight’s Whispering Pines Park workshop could give us an idea of how this plays out in real life. Let me back up a bit.  And yet another memory to process:
The Annual Report. See, it’s time for the JWC Annual Report. Every December for the past four years, Deb and I conducted the “Annual Meeting” at Oscar Penn’s in Inverness. I brought a printed agenda, and we’d dissect how well the blog did that year, whether we met goals, and set out measurable goals for the year to come. (I know…romantic as heck.)  This time of year always reminds me of my first professional job.
I graduated from Central Michigan University in December 1981 and started at the Pioneer the week between Christmas and New Years. The Pioneer is in Big Rapids, about an hour from Mount Pleasant, home of CMU. I didn’t know anything about the town, other than a visit or two.  Three things I’ve learned from covering the County Commission in December:
That’s where I sit after seeing the County Commission led by its new Chair, Diana Finegan, on Tuesday afternoon.  Here’s how Tuesday’s County Commission meeting went for me:
I bought a Christmas tree. OK, I guess technically, the tree purchase occurred Monday. But both the tree shopping and attending the commission meeting felt like major steps, considering recent events. |
AuthorMike Wright has written about Citrus County government and politics for 37 years. 
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