My wish for you for the new year

I think that a friend and mentor of mine put it quite well the other day when he had the following to say about the coming of the new year and a self-assessment he was doing. He wrote:

I've always thought of new years eve as the most important time of year. It's a time to reflect and also look ahead. For me it's not about staying up and celebrating or making unrealistic resolutions but about having hope and a direction as I move on in life. It's personal. I know what I want to strive for and I probably won't get there completely but I will gain ground. I haven't forgotten where my bones are buried and my demons and I are on a first name basis.

I have a ton of regrets but at the same time a lot to be proud of. And I know there are people in this world who love me and that is enough. So I will continue to gain ground.
Happy new year! And peace to all!

I'm moved by this for several reasons. This comes from someone who I think approaches life with the right attitude and who I think is in a good place. I don't agree with everything that he says on other topics, but he's the kind of person who can make me think twice about something. He has a blue-collar wisdom that I understand and that I wish that I had more of. There is also a real humanism and realism in these words, and there is something instructive in that. Some people will go all out with platitudes, some people will be brief and formal, some people do the sugar-coating around this time of year. But this is a real self-assessment with some vulnerability to it and not everyone is strong enough to think this through and put that out there. These are also healing words. Someone can read this and see themselves in these words and step back and think that they aren't alone and that their life and their struggles and their hopes and the way that they're trying to give order to their life has some meaning after all.

So many people who I know are struggling in one way or another to give their lives order and meaning, and so few people who I know who are trying to do this have the support needed to make a good job out of it. It's hard to do. The person who wrote this has a strong bonded relationship with a woman who shares his values. They have a couple of pets. They're the kind of people others listen to and respect, and no one goes away from them without feeling their strength. They worked hard to get there. And here's the hint from above to find order and meaning in your daily life: you can't do it entirely on your own. We aren't wired for solitary lives and for not having to be accountable to others. This isn't about a party that never ends. Like my friend and mentor says, "And I know there are people in this world who love me and that is enough. So I will continue to gain ground."


My wish for all of us is that in 2023 we draw in closer, build solidarity and community, find the real love that we're made for, and gain lots of ground.

Overcoming Anxiety And Rescuing One Another

The United Methodist Communications says: "Take a one-minute break for self-care and learn five ways to overcome anxiety when feeling fearful or stressed. United Methodist Communications offers a guided space to pause and find the road back to peace."

We say: This is a great place to start, but not everyone has the opportunities or means to do what this video suggests. Get together with others in your community or some trusted friends and put your heads together to think about the sources of your anxiety, take those on, and use relaxation techniques to strengthen you as you push back against the causes of your stress and anxiety. 

  

"I loved my friend..."

 

Friendship...

 

The number of hours we have together...

 

Sometimes we need somebody...

 

Who helps you? How do you mend? How do we mend each other?

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.”

Henri Nouwen

''Life damages us, every one. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other.''

Veronica Roth