Boy … what a year

Commentary by Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig

On Jan. 1, 2008, I was feeling pretty good about the year in front of me.

Eight months later, I had been laid off, experienced financial woes and personal struggles, said goodbye to a pet and a very dear friend and had begun counting the seconds until I could say “Good riddance!” to the Year of the Rat.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one to have a rough year. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, lost their homes and said goodbye — for the last time — to sons and daughters who would leave for war, never to return.

Gas prices rocketed to an all-time high of more than $5 a gallon. Homelessness and unemployment rates saw a drastic increase. And for those who weren’t forced to live on the streets, people cut more corners than they knew they had. Global warming became an issue that we can no longer ignore. And budget cuts in many states across the country forced K-12 schools to eliminate programs that are so vital for our youth.

The year 2008 also forced us to say farewell to too many great men and women: U.S. representatives Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Tom Landros, actors Charlton Heston and Paul Newman, singer Eartha Kitt, musician Bo Diddley, “Meet the Press” moderator Tim Russert and comedian Bernie Mac, to name a few.

Despite the stressors, disappointments and misfortunes I personally experienced, I am thankful for family, friends and special loved ones. I especially am blessed to have four beautiful children who despite having gone through the aftermath of their parents’ divorce, tough financial times and the typical trials and tribulations that teens and young adults experience, they chose 2008 to bloom.

Before sitting down to write my final column for the year, I asked them what they thought about the last 355-plus days. Like most people, they had one complaint or another, but it was my oldest daughter — who has had her share of ups and downs during the past 12 months — that put everything into perspective for me.

“It was good,” she said, “because I’m still alive.”

Wow … at 20 years old, she had learned that no matter how difficult things can, and will, get, being alive for one more moment is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.

So as I ride through the Sonoran Desert — somewhere between Quartzite, Ariz., and Palm Springs, Calif. — I am able to reflect on what my daughter said.

We’ve all heard sayings like “One day at a time,” “Live in the moment” and “Where there is a will, there is a way.” And we’ve all poo-pooed on these and similar inspirational phrases at least once when it was the last thing we wanted to hear.

But I’m here. And you are here. And we did get through whatever it was that had us ready to throw in the towel.

And there was some good. What many would say is the best of the best was when the people of this country elected as president a man — who happens to be African American — who was able to re-ignite a passion and fire under almost everyone across the country … and around the globe.

So as you begin 2009, no matter where you are, whom you are with … no matter what your fortune or debt may be like, be blessed for the little things. Know that what you hope for in life for you and your family is attainable.

And believe change — for the good — is on its way.

   Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig is an award-winning journalist who resides in Oakland. If you have an individual, organization, issue or other topic that may be of interest to the Globe’s readers, contact her at talk2mfc@yahoo.com. Visit her blog at www.stpminute.blogspot.com.