“So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun.
— John Lennon
“So This is Christmas”
Happy New Year!
For some reason this song, which really never struck a chord with me, spoke to me this year as I wrote a little something to share with my family at Christmas dinner. Anyone who has ever established New Year’s Resolutions – and more than likely let them fall by the wayside – might interpret the above lyrics as a time of reflecting about the year just past, the goals that were set, the challenges accepted and faced, things lost in the shuffle of life. Even failures. (You know that failure is not necessarily a bad thing, right?)
And now, today, Jan. 1, 2022, we all get to start with a clean slate. Tabula rasa, sort of. Actually, we start with a clean slate every morning when we wake up to a new day. We get to forgive and forget yesterday and begin with an attitude of gratitude today, getting another chance to be the best persons we can be today, and again tomorrow, and the day after that. My mother once told me when she opened her eyes every morning she looked toward the heavens and asked, “Lord, what wonderful adventure will we have today?” That woman was the smartest, wisest person I have ever known and wanted to emulate.
Who was your childhood hero? Why?
Are you someone’s hero? Have you pondered the concept? You may never know the impact of your actions, the words you choose to use, your very hero status. But someone somewhere has felt your influence, your kindness, your wisdom, your love, all treasures beyond measure. So let’s just say it right now, YOU are someone’s superhero. And don’t forget it. Ever. Use it for your reason to keep getting up in the morning, to continue to put one foot in front of the other, to be that person who smiles warmly in spite of adversity, encouraging each other, finding the common ground between you.
The late Connie Alexander said (a couple of times) that I am an encourager. Mea culpa. I am a daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, friend. Of course, I’m an encourager, just as moms are supposed to be. And because there is so much sadness in our troubled world. We all need someone to help us stand up on our own feet, so we can keep saying, “What wonderful adventure will we have today?”
In the busyness of our days, time escapes unnoticed and you hear yourself and others ask, “Where did the time go? How did it pass so quickly?”
“Slow down, you move too fast.
You’ve got to make the morning last.
Just kicking down the cobble stones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy …”
— Simon and Garfunkel
“Feelin’ Groovy”
We live in a time of immediate, around-the-clock, breaking “news.” In generations past it might take days or weeks or months for news to reach people. And perhaps that was better, the not knowing for a period of tie so people considered to live their lives instead of planting, rooting in front of an electronic device to learn more about the rabblerousing, with fear and panic pooling inside of us.
Be kind to others, be kind to yourself as you rekindle your energies, revive your unmet dreams and goals and plan for the year that has begun today. Tabula rasa.
“It’s a beautiful morning, ah.
I think I’ll go outside for a while
And just smile …”
— The Rascals
“A Beautiful Morning”
The staff and administration at Family Recovery Center wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year.