Never a year without blessings
We are a hopeful people, for the most part. We have been made that way, it seems. And this is the time of year when we feel hopeful for the new year that lies ahead.
Many of you will have already heard of the magazine article in which author Steve Shepherd wrote about the “perfect” world he was hoping for in his “A New Year — A New Life.”
In it, he said: "In a perfect world you would feel as good at 60 as you did at 17. And you would be as smart at 60 as you thought you were at 17.
"In a perfect world professional basketball and baseball and football players would be complaining because schoolteachers were signing multimillion-dollar contracts. In a perfect world potato chips would have calories, but if eaten with dip, the calories would be neutralized.
"In a perfect world, mail would always be early, and the cheque in the mail would always be for more than you expected it to be."
And then, Shepherd reminds us that this is not a perfect world — but it is a world that can become better in this next new year.
Have you ever heard of or had a gratitude jar? Why not start one for 2021? I've been filling mine for a couple of decades now.
Years ago, I took a large mason jar and painted some flowers and bees on it with my children's paints. And then, starting in January every year, I write about the good times I am grateful for on small pieces of paper — like post-it-notes, for example. I just jot down a happy memory of the day and who I was with and date it, and then pop it in the jar.
And then, on New Year's Eve, I grab a hot chocolate (or whatever a favourite drink might be at the time), plop myself down on a comfy chair and go through the notes, one by one.
What a happy time as I go over so many memories of things that I have forgotten — even though it had only been less than a year since they happened.
In those early days, I would throw away the slips of paper from previous years. But, as I get older, I don't want to forget about those times, so instead of throwing the old notes away, I keep them in envelopes marked with the year. They are stashed away in a pretty keepsake box to be taken out anytime my mood needs a boost.
The new year is always a time of new beginnings. And 2021 is as good a time as any to start this new tradition at your house. Maybe each person in your family can have their own jar?
There will always be good times, good people, good events and great memories in the course of anybody's year. So, write them down for future remembering.
American author, Pastor Jeffery Anselmi wrote a short essay in his book “A New You For a New Year” that goes: “I am the new year. I am an unspoiled page in your book of time. I am your next chance at the art of living. I am your opportunity to practise what you have learned about life during the last 12 months. … All that you dreamed but didn't dare to do … these slumber lightly, waiting to be awakened by the touch of a strong purpose.”
It is my philosophy that there is never “nothing to do.” The opportunities that a new year presents to each of us are endless and varied. Here's hoping for good changes in your new year.