Bleh.

To say that 2011 was eventful is a bit of an understatement. I began the year in an apartment in San Antonio, Texas, a scant month or so after starting a new job with Rackspace Hosting. I traveled back and forth to Beaumont and Houston more times than I can count to be with my parents in the hospital and, ultimately, to attend their funerals. I lost my brother quite suddenly to an aortic aneurysm, and my sister-in-law to complications from surgery. And I lost two dear aunts on separate sides of the family.

Given all that, the fact that my alma mater won a bowl game and had its first Heisman trophy winner in the school’s history doesn’t seem like such a big deal. And, in the grand scheme of things, it certainly isn’t (but I will definitely lord it over everyone else for the next year).

I remain, as ever, full of hope, however. I suppose I have reason to complain, but life has its ups and downs and its our job to handle what we’re given.

All the best to you and yours in 2012, and may God give you the strength to handle whatever challenges come your way.