It’s been a “Forge-Fires” year, according to Master Jonak of “Apprentice Storm Mage”. That means it was a year of difficult events and tough times; the kind of fiery test that forges us into something stronger. Even though the pandemic shut down many things, it forced myself and a lot of people to look at building something up close to home.
In some cases, a literal building. The hardware stores have had a difficult time keeping lumber in stock for people’s projects. A lot of people took advantage of refinancing this year, including my wife and I. We finally added on that upstairs bathroom where a closet once stood. The driveway and deck were both in a bad state, so they’ve been rebuilt. It’s given me a lot of accomplishment as a homeowner, that even though the mortgage swelled up again, the house is much better off from it.
Sometimes the growth could be found in nature and close personal relationships. Our family and a lot of others got out to enjoy the outdoors this year. Parks have been packed, (even though some of their restrooms were closed due to the cleaning challenge). We tackled two amazing hikes this past year. The whole family hiked up to Black Elk Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota. My oldest son and I endured a hike and camp-out on the Superior Hiking Trail near Gooseberry Falls, Mn.
I’ve been working hard on several book projects, but I’ve had to work around both boys using both my computers for distance-learning. “Apprentice Storm Mage” released just before closures started happening. My editor is working on round two of the 2nd “Pilgrims with Blades” adventure. I’ve been adding stories to my gaming compilation, “Misadventures of RPG Dice”.
Sometimes all we can do is endure hardship and come out stronger. Thank you for supporting my writing, and I look forward to personally seeing many of you again in the next year.