Tonight a bunch of my family went out for dinner and dancing to bring in the new year. At midnight, my mom, my aunt Menry, and Vanessa whispered, ‘This is your year’ when they hugged me, and my heart skipped a beat every time. And I couldn’t say anything back because I didn’t want to ruin my mascara.

I missed Devin a whole lot, especially during the dancing. But then Menry said, ‘Colecciono momentos mágicos. Creo que este es uno’, which reminded me so much of something my grandmother used to say. And then the band played the first song Devin learned in Spanish, and my aunt Martha exclaimed, ‘La canción de Devin!’

I remembered what it was like to kiss my Abbita on the cheek to wish her a happy new year, and I imagined what it will be like to kiss Devin at the stroke of midnight. And I thought about how the people you love stay a part of your life forever.

This year I finally ate all twelve of my grapes and made a wish for each one. At 12:30, my aunt Menry said, ‘We have to go because we’re getting up early tomorrow’.

But the whole family stayed until the party was over. Like we always do.

Happy new year!
kristy