Happy New Year

Christmas decorations have been up since the last week of September, even though Thanksgiving is still weeks away, so I thought it would be fun to get a jump on New Year's 2009.

Now, I don't care too much about New Year's resolutions. I don't make them and most people I know never follow through with them. No problem. I just want to keep things moving ahead, onwards and upwards. So in that spirit, I want to talk about new beginnings.

I always look forward to new things. Spring, a new home, a new plant, a new friend. I like new stuff, and today is as new as any other day so why don't we get off to a good start by thinking of "new beginnings" as being the equivalent of simply having a chance at starting over. A mulligan if you will. A do over.

I have succeeded and failed. I have made it and lost it. I have fallen, and I have gotten back up. This getting back in the game can be described in different ways by different people. One way might be by calling it persistence or bullheadedness. One might say conversely that someone like me is just lucky. Either way, there is something to be said for not giving in or giving up. I am a believer in second chances (I have had my share), and a new beginning is just like a second, or third chance, etc.

The question is: Do I believe I deserve a second chance?

My friend, not only do you and I deserve second chances, I have come to recognize second chances as God's way of saying, "I believe in you, and no matter what, if you are willing, I will give you as many opportunities as you need to get it right." So, don't quit. Don't let the circumstances you are facing drag you down. If watching the news depresses you, stop watching the news. If your friends do nothing but complain and whine about how hard life is, get away from those friends. If you can't get your face to smile, tickle some other part of your body.

You get the message.

It is never as bad as it seems, it never is. And life is really good, it really is. The fact is, whatever we think is bad could be worse, and those things that we hope for could always turn out to be better than we ever dreamed. Hang in there. People believe in you. I believe in you, and I believe in the people who make up our incredible human family. We are not quitters. We have that Divine spark which is inherently ours that kicks in when things get fuzzy and we need guidance. It is good and it is true. Focus on the good and the true. Think thoughts that lead to happy emotions, and leave the rest of it to the worriers of this world. They need something to do too.

Peace is the way, love will help us, and thoughts that are good and true will speed it all up. -- jb