Why is it that each year when January rolls around, it's like I experience it for the first time? It seems that when other months return they're like greeting an old friend, with familiar sights, colors, smells, light, and the activities we associate with that season, but January arrives each year as a stranger to me.

And I like getting re-acquainted. It's a still, quiet month, a time to assess the year gone by and plan for the year ahead. It's a time to recover from the hectic holidays, to settle in at your hearth by a nice fire. For many, it's back to the grind after the holiday break, but even for them, the short days and long cold nights invite introspection. And the quiet beauty of a snowstorm (of which we've had an abundance so far this winter) is a marvel to behold.

January 2008 is almost half gone, so celebrate it with me until it arrives again in 2009 and we face it again for the first time.