As the clock struck twelve midnight on December 31st, 2023, I was on an airplane flying from Atlanta, Georgia to Detroit. It was the last leg of our return travel from Colombia (South America) where my husband and I had spent the winter holiday with his family. (The photo above is of a mural in Parque Pueblito Paisa in Medellin, Colombia.)
Upon returning to school or work after the winter holidays, “Happy New Year” is a common greeting among colleagues, friends, and acquaintances. As I say those words with the genuine intention of wishing someone well in the year of 2024, I’m also aware of the fact that the (Gregorian) calendar’s turning from one year to the next is just one type of “new” year.
The Gregorian calendar, with 365 days/12 months in a year, measures a year based upon the completion of yet another one of Earth’s trips around the sun. But members of various faith traditions and cultures may celebrate new years in accordance with their faith or culture’s calendars, which are not necessarily aligned with the Gregorian calendar’s demarcations of time. So, despite my good intentions, I recognize that the ubiquitous greeting of “Happy New Year!” at the beginning of January is full of assumptions, and as such, it may fail to recognize and honor when the person with whom I am speaking celebrates their New Year.
Although the onset of 2024 may not be cause for celebration, returning to school after the winter holiday is a truly happy occasion for me. All the kids seem taller and excited to see one another. They have settled into the school year, had some time away to play and rest, and returned with energy and focus. Getting back into the swing of things always takes a little bit of time, but it’s fun to do so when you genuinely enjoy the people with whom you work. We reconnect with our community with a renewed sense of purpose.
Like the person portrayed in the mural above, SK students are planters of seeds, seeds that feed their dreams and visions of what they are in the process of becoming. May the remainder of the 2023-2024 school year be a fruitful, creative time in which moments of peace and joy occupy ever greater space in our minds, hearts, days, and nights.