Looking Back, Looking Forward; Farewell 2017, Welcome 2018

via Wikipedia: Statue representing Janus Bifrons in the Vatican Museums

January (as most of you probably know) is named for Janus, the Roman god of doorways, who is always depicted with two faces, one looking back into the past, the other forward into the future. In this sense he also seems aligned to the New Year, when we, too, look back into the year that’s been and forward to what the new year, in this case 2018, may bring.

Traditionally, I understand that New Year, as opposed to Christmas...