My Christmas wishes for all my friends and family. A year of struggle and if need be some tragedy. We only grow and change when confronted with struggle. A mild drought broken by rain. We only appreciate the rain after a drought. A good New England Snow Storm. It helps you appreciate the summer and gets you talking to your neighbors. If your young a broken heart or two. You have to go through a few infatuations to know when you have found your true soulmate. If your old, friends and family to spend time with. A night or two spent sleeping in the woods. A night or two by the ocean. A trip to visit friends. Finally a funeral or two. If we let them, they make us think deeply about life. And with that a few tears. Save them when they come,, they let you know your alive.

©️ words and pictures by Dan DeMarle