Instead of picking a topic to write about from the many things going on in the world and America, I decided to recap what we’ve talked about in this column over the last year so we may reflect on what has happened, because it is our experiences that shape us. It has been a year of global triumphs and individual devastation. Our community, nation and world have been rocked by tragedy only to rise up again in great defiance and unity.

Unfortunately, I have had to write too many columns about devastating events too close to home. I have written many columns blasting national politics or declaring my opinion about an international incident, but there have only been two columns that I found myself with tears rolling down my face as I typed. In August, I wrote a column about four heroes in my hometown who were ruthlessly killed, and just last week I tried to imagine the horror facing the parents of the children gunned down in Newton, Conn., as they wrote their child’s obituary.

This year, I spent a lot of time writing about an idea rather than a specific event. Together, we have debated the value of money, education reform, making tough choices and the importance of corn. I have argued in these pages that America must save her youth if we are to compete in the global economy and focus on entrepreneurship to create new industries in which we can dominate. We have thought about leadership at both the individual level and in the global game of foreign policy in which I argued that the world needed America to lead.

Following the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac, I wrote a letter to the president in which I defended our region’s right to flood protection, and earlier this year I wrote my own version of the president’s “State of the Union” address. My letter didn’t make it to the president’s desk, and no one heard me practice the State of the Union in my office after I typed the column, but I hope they left an impression on someone.

In America, it was the year of the election, and that year is over…finally. We discussed everything from Ron Paul to Romney’s taxes. Many men have had their moment of fame this year. Remember Newt Gingrich? I proposed that Romney should have chosen Condi Rice as VP, and then we discussed the possibility of a tie in the Electoral College and how the Constitution would resolve it. Ultimately, President Obama was re-elected, and together we must rebuild our economy and future.

As citizens of Earth, we watched in awe as the rover landed on Mars and explored our closest neighbor planet. As human beings, we watched the giants of our time, the Olympians, shatter world records and defy logic as they competed for the title of world champion.

For the last several years, Courtney and I have spent New Year’s Eve with two people very special to us, and it has become a tradition for me to give a toast with a very simple wish: that the new year is better than the previous one. I can happily say this wish has always come true for me, and I hope the same for all of you in 2013.

The last bite…

There have been many, many great meals throughout 2012. My favorite was my birthday cake made by my sister! My least favorite was Root in the Warehouse District. From the fancy meals to the home-cooked favorites, it has been and always will be the people I get to enjoy the food with that makes each and every meal special. To everyone that has allowed me a few minutes of their time, thank you. I can honestly say that my cumulative dining experiences for 2012 get 5 (out of 5) crumbs!

Buddy Boe, a resident of Garyville, owns a public relations and program management company and is well known on the local political (and food) scenes.