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