Let’s face it, we start every new year the same way. Happy.
While we always wish our friends and family a Happy New Year, we obviously have no idea what lies ahead – be it good or bad.
The start of 2020 in January was much the same with the prospects of hope, happiness and prosperity fresh in our minds before everything went haywire in mid-March. It’s been a roller coaster of emotions ever since, as the effects of the coronavirus have taken us into unprecedented territory.
The pages of this newspaper will forever reflect the ups and downs. While we were anticipating writing the usual stories on Chemainus Theatre plays, the St. Michael’s Chemainus Classical Concerts series and other entertainment, sports events at Chemainus Secondary School and in the community, business stories of inspiration provided by forward thinking entrepreneurs and all the features and articles from around the region about the people who make it great to live in small towns, it turned out entirely different with the emergence of the virus.
There has still been some semblance of normal life captured within the Courier’s pages this year, but COVID-19 stories have naturally predominated for nine months.
We’ve been fortunate here not to have been in one of the hot spots of reported cases, but the virus is obviously all around us and the utmost of precautions must be taken.
We know we aren’t out of the woods yet, even with vaccines from a few companies now being distributed. So perhaps we’re approaching this New Year with a bit more trepidation than just outright celebration because of what happened in 2020.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t still mark the occasion with loved ones in our household. We should be thankful for good health for so many and the great work of health care providers to keep us safe.
For those who are unwell or lonely, we can only offer our best as we head into 2021. There’s never any guarantees of what direction our lives will go in; 2020 has taught us that much.
Happy New Year to everyone around the Chemainus Valley. Be safe, be kind, be smart, be all that you can be as we get through this rather remarkable time in recent history.