I have been away for the past few days, celebrating Christmas with my families.

Though I do like Christmas, I don’t love it or go crazy for it like some people do. What I love is that families find reason to be together; I don’t care for the stress that tends to accompany the rest of the holiday season.

What I’ve found is that I do love the week, or at least days, leading up to New Year’s Day. Last year, I was an intern at a hospital and working in hospice care. I remember this time of year feeling very important, in that I created space to observe those patients who had died while I knew them, and those patients who I knew would be living on when my internship was completed seven days after the new year.

I am looking forward to reflecting on this year, however backward that may seem. This is the year in which I began my professional career (among many, many other monumental and exciting things). This is also the year in which I met the hundreds of residents and a dozen or so private clients with whom I’ve worked. I am eagerly anticipating the opportunity to look back and acknowledge.