I’ve heard people use a lot of words to describe 2025, but as yet, nobody I know has said what a great year it was. Quite the contrary: for people in my world, 2025 well and truly sucked.

Here’s the tally of the losses and challenges among people I know. First, the deaths. Three friends lost their respective fathers. One of those also lost two of her three dogs. My cousin lost two of her sisters in the space of a few weeks. (Yes, they were my cousins, too, but I hadn’t seen or spoken with either in decades.) A volunteer at the cat shelter where I also volunteer died, leaving a 91-year-old husband who couldn’t care for their elderly cats, and so Kallie and Stella are now a part of my family. On the non-death side, a relative got divorced, and a friend lost his job in a way that has required him to hire legal counsel.

As I ruminated on this list, it occurred to me that by comparison, my year went quite well. My immediate family is all in reasonably good health (although my elderly mother did have another mini-stroke early in 2025). In my day job, business was very good. My cat family expanded from four to six, all of whom are doing well despite their exalted ages. While I had to replace the dishwasher and the refrigerator in the space of a few months, I was able to do so. I went on Medicare, which means that I no longer pay health insurance premiums of $1,400 per month. I participated in several excellent markets and book events and was able to chat with a number of people who told me how much they love my books. Although I didn’t finish my current novel-in-progress as I’d originally planned, I have made good progress and I truly believe it will be published this year.