Congratulations! (Some Silly and Some Serious)

Congratulations, everyone! We've made it through the longest month of the year! It's officially January 72nd, the last day of the month. 

Okay, so that is a slight exaggeration, but I think we can all agree that January just seems to drag on forever. I've always thought that it's because it comes right after October, November, and December, all of which seem to fly by. (For me at least.) Then comes poor, underappreciated January, the month that forces us back into our daily routines of work, school, two day weekends, and does it all without the benefits of twinkling lights or the promise of a holiday on the horizon. Maybe that's why I always feel the need to rearrange and decorate in January. 

Of course, for so many people January brings the promise of springtime around the corner. The days are getting longer, and the holidays, which are not a happy time for many, are behind us for another nine or ten months at least. We just have to get through the never ending month of January first.

Whatever the reason, January can be such a difficult month for people. And, while everyone knows that the holidays can be a difficult time, the checking in and extra conversations of the end of the year can tend to fade away in the cold grey of January, leaving people in a deep, dark black that they can't see a way out of. Even while we joke about the 72 days of January, know there are people who don't make it out of this month, because they feel so lonely and lost and helpless in the after-holiday wave. For whatever reason they don't feel like they can reach out, they don't feel like they can call, or text, or message, or just show up, and so they fade away, leaving a hole that can't be filled by any amount of sunshine or laughter. Not knowing, never imagining, the devastation they've left in the wake of their going. 

Please know, whatever you are going through, whether you know me in real life or only through the Web that has connected us across the miles, you can always contact me. Please know that there are people who would be forever impacted if you were no longer here. People that you would never know or image you have touched would feel your loss, and they would always wonder what they missed, what they could have said or done, and how they could have helped. Please know that, no matter how much you might feel it, you are not alone. 

We made it through January, friends. Just keep swimming.