Happy New Year, my friends!

First, a bit of sad news for those of you in the Boston area: Columnist Donald M. Murray has passed away at age 82. My parents always read his "Over 60" column when I was a kid and would often point out or clip noteworthy entries, so I got in the habit of reading and enjoying his writing many years ago. Every time I would begin to read one of his columns, purportedly about life after age 60 (in recent years, it was renamed "Now and Then"), I would think it couldn't possibly be relevant to my life at twenty-, thirty-, or now forty-something. But every single time, Don Murray spoke to my heart from his. He wrote about his life, whether it was about finding inspiration for his writing itself, or the love he had for his wife and daughters, or how painful it was to see his wife waste away as a result of Parkinson's disease or, most recently, how his dear Minnie Mae's death in 2005 and his ensuing depression were affecting his life. To a non-reader of Murray, this probably sounds as though his columns were a morose collection, but the opposite was always true; Don Murray wrote frankly and directly about real and, sometimes, painful things, but he never failed to find beauty and strength in pain and to offer (to my mind and heart, at least) inspiration to go on. Farewell, Mr. Murray, and rest in peace with your beloved Minnie Mae. My sincere condolences to Murray's surviving daughters, friends, and extended family.

Okay, with that sad news out of the way, let's focus for just a moment on being grateful for the end of 2006, a year that saw some rough times in the public arena -- high death tolls in war zones and politicians who didn't seem to understand what their constituents wanted, among other things -- and a mix of personal circumstances for the people I love. I'm asking you to join me in approaching 2007 with high hopes -- for the safe return of our troops overseas as soon as realistically possible; for the inaugurations and swearing-in of all those legislators we elected in November and for their fast, effective, and committed approach to the issues they claimed to believe in; and for the good health and good fortune of each and every one of you, your families and your friends. Whether 2006 was a good year for you or not, may 2007 be better yet.