Harbingers of Hope

Dear Reader,
Another new year is upon us and with that, many
of us make resolutions to strive
harder, to live the best version of
ourselves. Historically, I have had

an annual lunch with multi-gener-
ations of family during the holiday

season where we share the resolu-
tions we wrote the previous year

and assess, perhaps quietly grade
how well we accomplished what we
resolved. Additionally, we put down the highlights of
the past year and separately the most recent favorite
memories of Christmas. In this way we savor the past
and then thoughtfully construct a new horizon for the
future to be revisited at the traditional luncheon.
In thinking about it, a lot of good has happened even
though at times it doesn’t seem that way. The news and

characters in the news many times are not inspiration-
al and can be downright disappointing. One wonders if

good can prevail over evil or is it the other way around.
We can address this negativity by being positive in
what we say and do when interacting with one and
another. We can filter out bad news by turning off the
media. We can eliminate being with people who are full
of vinegar. We can create an aura of goodness around
our lives through compassion and kindness. We can
try to see the other person’s point of view by listening
harder and imagining walking in their path. We don’t
always have to agree but we can shrink the divisiveness
by respectfully hearing an alternative perspective.
Overall, when we step back and survey the big
picture, our lives are getting better and the world is
getting better; overall crime and poverty are down
while the stock market and investments are up. Let’s

celebrate our joys and shut out the badness. The pres-
ent status of things and a positive outlook can be auspi-
cious harbingers of the goodness yet to come…

Patrick Wood
Publisher