A new start in a new year
By Bill Shepard
We’re off to a new beginning! Whatever is behind, let it be. We cannot change one iota of it. The good deeds done are recorded and the mistakes made cannot be erased. What has been, good or bad, let it be, it is now time to move on. There are new paths to follow and new challenges to be met. We are fortunate to have been given a new start.
Perhaps the poet spoke the sentiments of us all in a beautiful way:
He came to my desk with a quivering lip, the lesson was done.
“Dear teacher, I want a new leaf,” he said, “I have spoiled this one.”
Instead of the leaf so stained and blotted, I gave him a new one all unspotted,
And into his sad eyes smiled, “Do better now, my child.”
Kathleen Wheeler
No doubt, most of us can picture ourselves as being in that position. I plead guilty! So, here we are at the dawning of the New Year. We can take the old calendar from the wall; it can only remind us of the times that were but are no more. The New Year lies before us.
It comes with 12 full months, 365 crisp new pages on which we are to write. None of us has the assurance that we will turn all the pages, nor how many marks we will make, but it is given to us, to begin.
With our hands in those of the “Keeper of Time,” we can step confidently across the threshold and begin our journey. May I suggest some things to leave behind, and some to carry? Glance backwards just for a moment to remind yourself of the unnecessary weights you might have carried and resolve to leave them behind.
Let go of those prejudices that have been collected. Lose the jealousies and envying that have bothered you for so long. Refuse to give the unkind thoughts about others a place to hide in your mind. And most of all, truly forgive all those who you feel have done you wrong. It might be wise to begin with yourself. Refuse to carry the burdensome load of self-guilt another day. It does very little to forgive others, then continue to live with self- condemnation and guilt. Having done so, you should be feeling better already. You can now travel lightly into the New Year.
Here are some necessary items needed to assure you a rewarding journey into the future. Resolve to be a little kinder than you have been. Kindness is a language that is understood universally. People may not understand the words you speak, but your deeds of kindness are easily interpreted. Even your pet dog or cat understands the difference between kindness and harshness. The elder George Bush once said that he envisioned a “kinder and gentler” America. From what we can see and hear in our daily lives, there is much room for improvement. That kind of America can only be, when each of us resolve to make it so.
A small child was building sand castles along the beach when a thoughtless person came along and stepped in the middle of them, scattering the child’s project asunder. The thoughtless person hurried on, leaving the sobbing child behind. Another person came by and saw the hurting child, crying softly. He stooped and placed his arms about the child and spoke some kind words, then moved on. Looking back, he saw the small child happily rebuilding his dream castles.
The world is full of people like the child in this story. We see them every day. They were making good headway in life, but something unforeseen came along and shattered their dream castles. They are now sitting among the ruins of their broken lives. You and I can be that other person who comes along and stops to show a bit of kindness. Do it! The rewards are great.
Remember the stories about Johnny Appleseed? I recall reading about how this man traveled throughout the Ohio Valley in the days before the last century. Everywhere he went, he scattered apple seeds, so the stories go. Throughout the valley, apple trees grew, producing the tasty fruit enjoyed by all in that region and perhaps beyond. Because of what he had done, he was given the name, “Appleseed John,” and the valley became and remains one of America’s finest apple producing regions.
We can all profit from the example of Johnny Appleseed. For your travels into the journey ahead, place within your traveling bag, seeds of kindness, faith, love, gentleness and an extra amount of forgiveness. Scatter them everywhere you go, and the world will be a better place because of you.
Be happy! True happiness must come from within and is not dependent upon the things about us. Someone has said that most of us are as happy as we want to be. So, go ahead, be happy! The journey lies before you; begin it with faith in the One who has brought you to it.
Happy New Year!