Last night, Terry, Cookie and I were at the Kemah boardwalk to play audience for the arrival and welcome of the 12th hour. We had 10 mintues before the countdown and as I looked out into the the horizon where the night sky and Galveston Bay met, two friends were bidding each other well - Yester Year and New Year. Yester year was resplendent in her gold garment and her cloak had snippets of all the events that had occurred that year. I saw a picture of myself at the terminal waiting to catch a plane to Florida. I looked hopeful and excited. There were several pictures of people I did not recognize - some welcoming newborns, some mourning the loss of a loved one, an orchard tree beaming with pink lady apples, some mountaineers trekking in East India and a plane leaving the tarmac.
New Year looked rather fetching in his silver and blue tuxedo. His suit had pictures too but they were faint, fuzzy shapes almost like pictures in a dark room that hadn't completely developed. I suspected the pictures would become clearer with the passage of time. Yester Year revealed that she was happy that she had reached the end of her journey with the people on earth and hoped that she had a presented a good year to most of them. New Year appeared excited with a hint of nervousness. "I hope I can present a great year too", he said. "You'll do just fine" Yester Year nodded assuringly.
The countdown began and at the stroke of the 5th second to 12, Yester Year embraced her friend and waved goodbye as she slowly slipped into the horizon. New Year did a last minute adjustment to his bow tie to look his very best when the people of earth would welcome his arrival in 3..2..1 seconds.
