Love, empathy, tolerance--also puppies, flowers, and laundry

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy New Year!

Fresh snow, unused notebooks, empty closets, new school clothes--don't you love new beginnings?!

2009 is bringing change. And change is scary as well as exciting and inspiring.

The economic meltdown has made us refocus on spirit and family rather than consumer goods. A young and energetic First Family gives us all hope that we can accomplish good things together. I admit it, I can hardly wait to see what puppy comes home to the White House (I'm thinking goldendoodle). It's more fun to think about a puppy than how many people will lose their livelihoods soon. The soaring jobless rate is more than dry numbers. My heart aches for the folks who used to deliver Mother's Cookies for decades being out of work. We knew at our company holiday party that there would be many faces we would not be seeing because of heavy cutbacks. Sometimes these changes seem overwhelming and unstoppable. There is a huge human price that is being paid.

2009 is going to be the year that we need to support each other. Finding kindness in unexpected places might be the biggest gift we receive in this new year. Feeling the glow of helping a neighbor in need is better than getting a huge flat screen television on Christmas morning.

Family, friends, altruism, hope, environmental responsibility, renewed pride in our country's ideals, new beginnings. Change. Bring it on.

2 comments:

  1. Wishing you and yours much happiness in 2009!

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  2. I totally agree with your post. I think now, more than ever, we need to come together to help one another and turn away from the materialism and greed that sometimes captures our attention. Maybe this time of suffering will be a chance to renew and center on what is really important in our lives.

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