2004 ends tonight. And 2005 has already arrived in all but four time zones.

Every year of my life is like a continuing journey to the center of a continent. The range from low to high becomes more extreme. The pleasant days and the storms are equally dramatic, and their frequency and fickleness increase.

My father died this year, and among all of the other spectacular things that happened in 2004, I will surely remember that the most.

2004 was marked by death. Natural disasters ravished this planet, complete with a killer tsunami in the final days of December. We saw the death of great minds, of great actors, of great inspirers. Of San Diegans. Helen Copley, Charles Lewis. We lost Ronald Reagan. We saw the death of so many servicemembers.

The death of corruption in Kiev. The death of democracy in Washington. (Kidding.)

Many were born in 2004 that we don’t know yet. Some were born that we know very well. My cousin Hailey Rose arrived in September.

Surely all of us made and broke friendships; I am no exception. We certainly all made progress in education or business; I know I did.

Most of all we learned about ourselves, as we do every year — from the events of the world to the events in our minds.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget 2004. I think I might have said that in 2003 and 2002, too. But this year, you must agree, was truly spectacular.