The garden in front of my neighbors’ house has been festooned for the past two weeks with rows of white lights. The short winter days have thus become a little less somber thanks to the brilliance of their decorations. When beheld at night, these lights raise my spirits in this season of Christmas 2004.

As usual, the glow of this celebration and coming of the year’s end prompt in me reflections about what we have experienced during the past twelve months. Casting my memory high and far, like a fishing line thrown into the water, I rediscover events of some consequence.

This past year has brought several surprises, some of them welcome. Among the latter I cannot omit the Red Sox becoming world champions of baseball.

Despite my pessimism about what has happened to the game on the major-league level and my Scrooge-like feelings of regretting that the Sox have lost their pretender status, I feel obliged to include their comeback against the Yankees and their sweep of the Cardinals as tops among the sports events of the year.

At the risk of seeming distressingly parochial, I also include the replacement of Bernard Law with Sean O’Malley as archbishop of Boston among the surprising and desirable events on the local scene.

It may not have loomed large in everybody’s life but, to me, this change came as highly desirable for my Church. Another welcome change came when the archbishop divested himself of the palatial residence at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Lake Street in Brighton.

Acknowledging the difficulty of being an optimist in later life, I must also reckon with events that I could weep over. On the large stage, the election of George W. Bush strikes me as tragic for our nation and, indeed, for the world.

Yes, 59 million Americans do not agree with this appraisal of November’s vote, but they are wrong. What a nerve I have to disdain the judgment of so many of my fellow citizens! But, hey, there are some privileges that come with age.

Be that as it may, I now have to accept living what may turn out to be my last years under the shadow of a presidency that, on many fronts, I consider bad for us all, especially for those who are not rich.

Even more sobering was news coming from the United Nations this month. Across the world, more than one billion children are being denied a healthy and protected upbringing, with many of them slated to die from lack of food and water. That this situation is caused in large part by war should provoke tears.

Massachusetts made history this past year by authorizing same-gender marriages. I had the pleasure of taking part in the weddings of two sets of friends, one couple male, the other female. Though I still feel some discomfort at using the same word “marriage” for heterosexual and homosexual partners, I find spiritual value in such pairings. This I do contrary to the official attitudes of my Church.

The end of a 60-year friendship through the unexpected death of my friend Bob brought sadness to family and mutual friends this summer. However, the continued outpourings of esteem and affection for him have modified my feelings of loss.

Similarly, the death of my friend Daria at age 45 left me mourning, as it did many others in her wide circle of friends and acquaintances. I miss conversations with her about literature and spirituality, among other topics.

But I continue to value the blessings of  many other friends. Our weekly dinner group has now been gathering for almost 30 years and members show no signs of ceasing to enjoy frequent sharing of meals, conversation, concerns, and laughter.

Similarly, the book group to which I have belonged for some decades has continued to make choices that  members usually enjoy reading and discussing. This month, in order not to let Graham Greene’s centenary pass without notice, we read The Power and the Glory. Our lively and intense discussion proved to me that this novel has lost none of its force after more than 60 years.

As the year ends, I continue to feel grateful to my readers. Many of you have contacted me during this past year, as in other years, sharing your appreciation of my columns. Knowing that I have sometimes touched a chord in you is thoroughly gratifying and makes the effort of writing even more rewarding. I also appreciate the critical remarks of readers, even when they are not music to my ears.

As I join with family and friends in various celebrations of Christmas 2004 and New Year 2005, season brings a renewal of hope, offsetting some of the negative events of the year past and suggesting that some welcome events will set the tone for the year to come.

Richard Griffin