To our readers

Growing up, I had a hard time understanding the significance of celebrating a new year. Except for the date and an annoying inability to remember it until I had written the wrong one across all my papers, nothing much ever seemed to change. It was still cold, I was still in the same grade and life still went on as it had Dec. 31.

Even as I got older, it remained a strange occasion to celebrate, though it certainly became more fun. I can remember times when my parents would struggle to stay awake until midnight, feeling an obligation to ring in the new year that I couldn't quite comprehend. Meanwhile, my friends and I used it as another excuse to party--not that we really needed one.

My little cousins seemed the only ones truly excited for the holiday, but I suspect that was more a factor of the opportunity to stay up late than anticipation of the incoming year.

And after all of the waiting and struggling to keep our respective eyes open, by 12:10 it was over, no different than any other late night. For me it became a disappointing end to the holiday season. But this year it was different.

As a nation, we've said good-bye to one of the worst years in our history. We'll always remember 2001 and the way it changed our lives, but it's nice to finally be able to say "last year" when referring to it. Never before did a new beginning seem so important to enjoy and celebrate.

That's not to say there weren't good things during the last year worth noting as I said good-bye to the sadness that marked 2001. But even more important than sending the last year off was ringing in the new one on a happy note.

So this time it wasn't about staying up to midnight or having a reason to party. There's a whole bright new year before us, filled with new prospects and new joys--we had to start it off right.

So welcome to 2002. Here's wishing you a great one.