This last Saturday in December is cloudy and dreary; the Christmas decorations have been tucked away, and 2019 will be here in three days. It is a good day for introspection — for looking back over the year that is drawing to a close. For me, 2018 has been a year of both joyous happenings — my daughter’s wedding and the birth of her twins, a beautiful 50th High School Reunion, new & rekindled friendships, a renewed sense of purpose in my historical preservation efforts, precious times spent with my children and grandchildren — and times that have stressed my heart. I have friends fighting cancer, and one who lost his life to the nasty disease. One friend is waiting for her son to wake from a coma. It has been a stressful year for many.
Our nation is going through tumultuous political times, as are many of our allies. Climate change is taking its toll on our country. with wildfires and floods destroying homes and lives in many areas. There are strong political divisions, fanned by the internet and 24-hour news channels, which constantly search out the most divisive news stories.
My wish for 2019 is that we would see more thoughtful listening than angry, degrading rhetoric, more compassion, more attempts to find solutions to our problems in a bipartisan manner.
I wish as individuals, we would be quicker to love than to hate, more inclined to compassion and a sense that we are all “in this together,” and that we would all continue to nurture loving relationships with family and friends. Change can begin from the “bottom up,” and right now, we desperately need change, if we are to pass on a better world to coming generations.
As you raise your glass to the New Year, I hope you will be toasting to more civility and caring in this beautiful world of ours.
Happy New Year
ponderingsandmore 