Our speaker at the January meeting, Dr. Jiong Yan, spoke about our delicate and precious eyesight. Her talk about macular degeneration and the beginning of a new year prompted me to look back on 2024 and all the amazing things I saw. Like many of you I marvel at my child who is now bigger than I am.  (Of course, most people are bigger than I am.)  I look at my husband and appreciate the face I’ve known for over 40 years.  My dogs never fail to do something to make me smile even on the gloomiest of days.  It is easy to appreciate an intensely blue sky, but I have grown to love watching the rain fall.  That same rain will bring gorgeous red tomatoes and colorful flowers to my garden in the summer.  

Like many of you I have watched Atlanta change and grow over the years.  The twinkling lights of the skyline never fail to delight me.   As I walk every day, I appreciate the diverse faces of the people I see.  The city has grown and changed so much since I was a child. No longer a small southern town, Atlanta is now a major international city. Travel brings its own wonders.  Seeing a new part of the world can bring a fresh perspective.  The gift of sight is something we should never take for granted.

Closer to home I think back on our Scholar Award Celebration.  I remember how beautiful the ballroom at the Piedmont Driving was for our event.  The sunlight pouring through the windows was magical.  Thank you, Sara Jean, for being our sponsor.  The smiling faces of our scholars, the pride in their parent’s faces along with our busy hard-working members is a memory I will hold dear.  Thank you, Ann and Janis, for creating such a fabulous event.

Each day brings us so many incredible things to see and Dr. Yan’s presentation made me realize how the gift of sight can be so fragile.  My suggestion for 2025 is to put down your devices and open your eyes to the beauty all around us. Take time to enjoy the view wherever you go this year.