Happy New Year!

Yes, before the night is over, I am jumping in to wish you all a very Happy New Year. As we move into the Year of the Rabbit -- we look forward to all things good, prosperous and peaceful. Of course, when the Chinese New Year comes around, I am reminded of the fun I had standing on my terrace in NYC watching the celebration in the street below. While I lived on the Upper East side of the city, I was lucky to have a large Chinese restaurant attached to my condo building. And every year, which is the custom, they would have drums, firecrackers and the red dragon dance on the sidewalk in front of the building. What fun -- and all I had to do was step out my door! I love the multicultural energy in New York -- it was an honor to be included in a wide variety of festivities -- and Chinese New Year falls into that joy.

While the bracelet shown here is made of Kazuri beads, it is red. In Asian culture red is a powerful color -- strong and bringing good fortune to those who wear it. So, I thought it was a fitting design for the day. It's interesting, I am wearing a bracelet that incorporates beads made by the women of Kenya while celebrating the coming of the Year of the Rabbit while sitting here in the Pacific Northwest. To top it all off, I am posting an entry on my blog that is read by followers around the globe. Wow -- when I think of all the technology we have at our fingertips today, I often wonder what my grandmother would have thought of it all. Makes me smile -- because somehow I think she would have been amazed -- just as I am every day of the year. So, on that note -- Happy New Year to you all. Make it a great one.