"In Memoriam" for the New Year

I write this on january 2nd, time to close this blog.   We'll start another for this next year.
For the most part, it's been a wonderful year, I feel so grateful for may things.   Had great Thanksgiving travels to Alameda and Salt Lake, and a great Xmas trip to Des Moines.   Will throw in some pictures of these trips.  When we were in Des Moines, we stayed at a friend of Melisa's loft, it was very cool!
Had fun in Chicago, but as we were leaving, we got the news that Floyd, Dan's dad, had died.   It was expected, he'd been on Hospice.  Still, hard to hear.   We are currently in Flint, awaiting the visitation today, and the funeral tomorrow.
On Facebook, a friend of mine added a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, "In Memoriam."  I thought it spoke so well of the feelings of New Years Eve, the bittersweetness of it, and the hope of the New Year.
Here is part of it:


Alfred Lord Tennyson, "In Memoriam"

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more,
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.