2018….a New Year!!

It is a little less than 37 hours until it officially becomes 2018. Time enough to reflect on what 2017 came in with and what it is leaving with. This is different for each of us but I will share mine.

The year came and went it seems, with lots of happenings in between day 1 and day 365. There were moments of great JOY in time spent with family,  celebrations of special days, reflections of loved ones who are no longer with us,  friendships caught up with and some new friendships built,  a new opportunity for professional growth,  time well spent on my writing and my watercolor painting, and for sure many days spent in enjoyable service to the parochial school where my grandchildren attend. All in all, a PURPOSE filled year. As I looked over the goals I created for myself in the beginning of 2017, I know that I missed the mark on some of them, yet in others, I exceeded the goal. Guess that gives me good starting points in creating my 2018 goals! I am POSITIVE I can continue to work on self-improvement and expand my service to others.

Even though there were experiences in this year that were disappointments and sad moments due to family illnesses and loss, one has to understand that this is part of the ebb and flow of life. The tide comes in and the tide goes out….always;  no matter what happens while the tide is out, it will always come back in. And so it is with life, disappointments come, but they leave, only to be replaced with new experiences that have great possibility. Sadness comes, but healing follows, in time.

The greatest thought about a NEW YEAR is that it is filled with 365 new days of hope.   We can choose JOY, create POSITIVES, and live with PURPOSE. That is my hope for each of you and for myself. May you each have a HOPE filled journey in 2018!