It’s official. We made it through 2012. No apocalypse. Although, some days if felt like it wasn’t far off.

With the Mayan prophesy, radicals predicting a specific date for the rapture and the threat of cannibals eating people’s faces, it’s no wonder scary movies in 2012 were seriously lacking.

I can only hope that 2013’s films are more frightening than real life. We need a year off from the craziness.

We have plenty of real problems to focus on in 2013.

We have to make sure our kids are safe when they walk out the door to go to school. We have to live within our means at home, even though politicians in Washington don’t seem to agree. We have to hope and pray our men and women in uniform will soon come home from foreign lands without the physical and emotional scars so prevalent in the last decade.

But maybe we can use 2013 to appreciate the positives in our lives while we continue to work on all of the negatives that plague our world. And maybe we can get back to the basics of faith, family, friendship and community.

I’m actually really excited about the days, weeks and months ahead. There are so many things I have to celebrate - friends embarking on a life’s journey together, bouncing babies joining the world and me taking a trip to a place I’ve been dreaming of for years.

But there also are plenty of things to get excited about in our community.

We have gems here in the Fuquay-Varina area – like Miss Annie Bullock, who has written for our newspaper for close to six decades. At 98, she still comes to visit us and bring the Kipling News.

Or our very own mayor whose father played for the New York Yankees in the 1940s and ‘50s. John and Patty Byrne have beautifully restored the Mineral Springs Inn, helping to foster Fuquay’s historic beauty.

We have the amazing Stars Theater right downtown. After Belk’s left the space vacant, Cindy Verian breathed life into the building. But she also has giving kids of all ages the opportunity to share their talents on stage. Stars Theater offers cultural arts programs, from mystery dinner theater to kids’ productions and evening painting classes.

More than anything, Fuquay-Varinians can be excited by the small community feel that still exists here. You get to know your neighbors as well as local business owners. I think the Fuquay-Varina Downtown Revitalization Association has done an exceptional job of promoting that kind of atmosphere. You can tell that Naomi Riley and Linda Wood really love their jobs.

And that list doesn’t touch all of the great things happening around town.

While we each do our part to figure a way out of the messiness that life throws our way, I hope we’ll take time to see the numerous blessings we have right here at home.