New Year 2012: All comes 'round.

While it's true that bad things happen to good people, I have always believed in karma. When I try to summarize 2011, the phrase that keeps returning to mind is "All comes round." That also happens to be the title of my favorite track from what I humbly believe is the best new album of the year.  Our friends Lori Diamond and Fred Abatelli crafted something special this year. The album is called "True" (and P was excited to collaborate on it). You need to own this album. Here's the song I referred to:

Gorgeous, isn't it?  That's Lori on piano, Fred on bass, our friend Kim Jennings singing backup and Phil Punch on percussion. Quick detour.....a word picture review for this album. It's a sunny, lazy Sunday morning. You're lounging in bed, covered by a crushed velvet blanket. You have your sweetheart, a big mug of fresh brewed coffee, a toasted bagel, a bowl of fruit, the Sunday New York Times, and the whole day to enjoy it all. The album feels exactly like that.

So back to the song. While it's talking about karma in the sense of "mess with me and the universe will pay you back, just you wait," my meaning is a little broader (though seeing the headline of Osama Bin Laden's demise wasn't so bad). For me, 2011 was as much about hard work and patience paying off in a good way. At the beginning of the year, I was finally getting Greene Means Go Consulting truly off the ground, and it was reaping rewards. Additionally, I was about to expand my writing repertoire with Pet Connection to include editing and scheduling posts on the website. In essence, preparing to help run the site. By the end of the year, Greene Means Go had scaled way back, because I had been presented with an extraordinary full time training opportunity I just couldn't pass up. Now I'm happy as a clam working for NetSuite, and although Pet Connection went out of business a few months ago (long story), I've landed a new writing gig. I'm now a contributing writer for Sergeant's Pet Care's new Pet Health Central blog. The vacation in England and Scotland was magical. Oh yeah, there's also my new car, which isn't so bad.

At the dawn of 2012, I'm even more excited for the new year than I was at this time last year. The possibilities for growth are endless. They didn't happen by chance, though. Everything that went before led to it. It all came 'round. My mother would nod and say it's been "beshert"...Yiddish for being meant to be. Even in sadness and grief, I have to admit there's often a bittersweet beauty. The tragic and sudden loss of Rabbi Don gave rise to an outpouring of love and appreciating in the community that loved him so much. The Beatles were right. In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. Don created an enormous amount of love in the world, and that returned to envelop the family -- and all of us -- when he left us.

The year 2011 wasn't easy. Far from it. It was a journey like any other, and some of it was downright terrifying. I'd prefer not to repeat those parts. Nevertheless, they led us to the possibilities of even greater events in 2012. There will be the London Olympics, an important election in the United States, and my parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary. I don't know about you, but I'm excited to be welcoming it all.

A happy, healthy and peaceful new year to everyone, and may it all come 'round for you.