Merry Christmas, Mythketeers!!
We did it! Another year of stories, poems, and pictures. Another 12 months filled with reviews, introductions, and commentaries.
Well done, you! We couldn't do this without you. We are a team.
Congratulations to James Rumpel and his heartfelt story for winning Member of the Month. You all saw in it what I did.
Our cover is graced by none other than our fearless leader, David K Montoya. Did you know he was an artist as well as a writer?
As you enjoy this issue, take a moment and leave a comment for the author or artist. We thrive on things like that.
It is the end of another year. The end of another series of introductions, and the end of my words of wisdom, as they may be, for another year.
So what kind of advice, what kind of pearls can I bestow upon you, in this final intro of 2025?
We made it. We survived. Sometimes, that is the best we can do, and that is always good enough.
People get so caught up in what they achieved or didn't achieve this time of year that it can be very overwhelming. It's ok if you didn't finish writing that book. It's ok if you didn't write anything at all. It's ok if all you got were rejections for submissions, and it's ok if you didn't submit anything.
It's ok.
You woke each morning, you moved through the day at whatever pace you needed to, and you went to bed each night. In there somewhere, you took care of your basic needs. Good day, bad day, heartbreaking or uplifting, you made it through to see another day.
That is an achievement.
If all you did was get dressed some days, that is an achievement.
Don't get bogged down by what others have done; they aren't you. They will never be you. You will never be them. Focus only on what you have done. Set goals (because you all know how I feel about resolutions) for next year, next week, or even the next hour.
Some days, even I have to take it a moment at a time.
It is what gets you to the next morning, well done you!
This is a beautiful, family-filled, love-filled time for some, and for others, it is a time filled with pain, trauma, and regret. You don't walk in anybody's shoes but your own, so you don't know what someone else is trying to get through.
Be kind. Always be kind. If you are struggling with your day, your moment, bring kindness and joy to someone else. A smile, a kind word, lifts their spirits, and it will lift yours. Not always, but most times, it will give you a moment of happiness. Hang on to that with all you have.
Life is a struggle filled with moments of relief and joy. Those moments are the ones that get you through the dark times. Just the seasonal change can bring dark times. Literally, so hang on to those little moments of light. Let them guide you to the next moment of light.
You got this. We are all in this together. This journey is called life. This yearly pilgrimage to the spaces we tuck away. Our boats may look different, our paths may be rough or smooth, but we are all going in the same direction. Towards the New Year.
From our family to you and yours,
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and we will see you on the other side.
Until next year,
Stephanie J Bardy
Editor of all that is, all that was, and all that will come.