A new start,  a fresh beginning or the first step towards walking in a new direction.  This is what tonight may symbolize to a number of people around the world.  I love the energy that a New Year's Eve comes with.  It is a night filled with all of the past year's missteps or tumultuous moments wrapped into a neat package that people can put to rest, as those items belonged to the past year and the opportunity to not take them forward with you becomes a favored option. There were also many things that were accomplished and everyone can take comfort that achievement was also made.  For some people, they want to experience this night with those that are closest to them and perhaps it may even inspire a marriage proposal or two.  A year ago, many of us speculated over what the year 2012 would be like.  There was a lot of optimism as we entered into the beginning of this year and tonight we can also take a look back at the things that we might have wanted to achieve, however, we may have fallen short on our attempts.  One of the best things that today brings is also the re-commitment to tackling other things that may now be added to our new list.  For a lot of folks, today is to be celebrated with close family and friends as we hug each other close and embrace the gratitude that comes with having loving as well as supportive people around us.  There are those circles of family or friends that may be missing a particular individual and today can also be an opportunity to seek that person out in the ensuing year, as we can seek the opportunity to let bygones be bygones.  I remember my younger years and how this evening was about the party that we wanted to be at and what clothes we wanted to wear to impress others.  It is funny when I think that after all of these years, I am sitting in my sweats and comfortable t-shirt perfectly happy in taking in this evening with my close circle of friends who do not care about what I am wearing, they simply care about me.  This feeling is among the best experiences one could have in life and I wish it to everyone not just tonight, but through out the rest of the year.  So as the clock gets closer to striking midnight and you look to greet 2013 with open arms, I wish that everyone can truly appreciate the moment and the people that surround them.  From one year to the next, we may lose some of our most beloved people around us and it becomes even more important to tell everyone that means something to you, how they enrich and add value to our lives.  May the New Year 2013 provide you with the opportunity that you were waiting for in starting anew or inspire you to take those steps towards reaching the pinnacle of your life's journey.  With my personal heart felt wishes for a prosperous year filled with love, happiness and good health, cheers to all of you!

The courage of one's convictions has a definition that states; to act in accordance with one's beliefs, especially in-spite of criticism.  I love the strength of this statement and its even deeper meaning.  It can be easier to do the right things and act accordingly when people are looking at us.  However, it is when one is by themselves that this ability can become vulnerable, as it means that our own integrity and character are the defining platform for how we proceed.  There are also people that are very good at being the antagonists who enjoy and relish the role of criticizing.  When people have done good things and if there was an audience around them, the possibility that a person in that arena scrutinizing their act can become a possibility.  Through out history, there have been many examples of great people that did great things, yet faced severe criticism that could have derailed their achievements.  Those individuals, however, were strong in their convictions and were resolved in what they attempted to achieve.  We could all learn a thing or two from those great examples of the past.  Doing the right thing when nobody is looking and being thankful when times are tough, is probably the harshest test one can face.  One is capable of accomplishing and passing through these tests, however, it can be a tough experience.  What I do know about tough experiences is that they make us so much stronger, yet, we tend to not realize this until much later.  To act in accordance of one's own beliefs, also has another famous saying that refers to those individuals that march to the beat of their own drum.  I enjoy that type of individuality because it becomes a living example of how everyone is unique in their own way.  Talents and gifts vary as much as the variety of people that occupy them.  Therefore, don't forget to live for the sake of individuality and never listen to anyone who is a naysayer or that can be critical of you because you choose to do things differently.  The world is stronger because of our differences and the quicker people realize how valuable this is, we may be able to reach our destination of living harmoniously at a faster pace.

The term forgive and forget has been around for as long as anyone can remember.  It is one of those phrases that is easier said than done.  However, the healing that comes to a person as a result of not carrying around a burdenful memory that can add unnecessary weight to the shoulders of everyone that struggles with their day-to-day issues, can be life changing.  As we inch closer to the beginning of a New Year, I believe it is necessary to take an inventory at precisely this time, to ensure that there is no unforgiveness in anyone's heart.  Before we embark on the ensuing year, I challenge you to look at what has occurred over the past twelve months and see if there is anything that you were holding resentment about.  If you had any of these negative emotions, then look at this as your opportunity to finally set that obtrusive weight that you have been struggling with free and find it in your heart to let go.  When people lose a loved one without warning, it can be quite damaging to the person that may have not have made peace with that individual before they left.  The amount of instances when people lost someone and wished later that they could have one final opportunity to say they were sorry, is unfortunately quite large.  Before another year goes by and you let something that has been bothering you for some time enter into 2013 with you, be determined and resolved to finally let that stay in this year of 2012.  One never knows the true methodology for why someone acted out of character or hurtful in the past.  The reasons are many, however, there is never going to be an answer that will be completely satisfactory to the recipient of that negativity.  Therefore, don't let another day or in this case, another year go by before you decide to make peace, if nothing else do it for yourself.  The act of forgiving is much more important for the person who decides to let things go, than for the one that caused the pain.  Decide that you will enter into the New Year with a little less weight around your shoulders and give yourself some long needed inner peace as your wish for 2013.

The days after Christmas are filled with everyone picking up the pieces from the frazzled days prior to, that sent people into the stores with hoards of others, in hopes of selecting just the right gift for a loved one.  To me the holiday always seems to go by so much faster than the days the preceded it and the clean up around your home can also seem like a monumental task.  I always seem to ask myself the question, didn't I clean this house from top to bottom prior to everyone coming by and why am I now cleaning everything again?  Ah, these are great dilemmas that come with any holiday, but this one in particular because it is the greatest one and to me the key to all of the expected hope in the future along with the impending New Year.  The first thing that comes to mind is the feeling of gratitude and that I was able to reach another milestone holiday along with good health shared with family and friends that were the icing on the cake.  I thought about the many people and children that may have spent their holiday in a hospital room, waiting to hear about their prognosis, with the fate of their health attached to a chart and a doctor that they were waiting for.  It is even more important as a result, for us to be able to hold onto the feeling of this special holiday for as long as possible as there is an insatiable need for the world to feel better along with the rest of us.  Between now and next week when we begin to think about those annual resolutions that we want to take on one more time, we have the opportunity to continue to reflect.  I hope that most of us don't lose the feeling of the natural high associated with great feelings of harmony, being content and inspired with the new coming year.  We should be determined to meet the New Year next week with all of the power that we have that can attract that positive energy that will enable us to achieve far beyond what we ever imagined.  Similar to the thought of child that dreams about what they want to be when they grow up, we should also embrace that sense of optimism that can change part of our world, along with ourselves.  My hope is that we continue to aspire to the new imminent changes that can break us free from those things that held us back and allow our minds to accept that a year with a new beginning can be exactly what the doctor ordered.  Since we can leave the list of gifts behind, lets focus on the personal inventory list that we are creating, so that when 2013 arrives, we peel off another layer that we no longer need and allow ourselves to move forward on our life's journey to become the person we are destined to be.

Tonight is one of the most anticipated evenings through out the year.  People have traveled great distances to be home once again with the circle that they call their family and friends.  Others have to make their own special holiday memories with those that are now part of their new circle of support around them.  My heart always goes out to the many service men and women who find themselves a great distance away from their immediate families.  Those individuals who have sacrificed much, are perhaps spending the night in a foreign country as resolved and brave on a mission to protect and serve their home country that all of us call the United States of America.  It is an always difficult task for a child who is separated from their parent during the holiday as well.  For the many that look upon this day as a sacred day where they remember those family members that are no longer with them, I wish them much hope and happy memories of a time when their beloveds were among them.  To me the very nature of Christmas and the eve in which we find ourselves in, also lets me know that hope is very much alive and I look forward to the new memories, where perhaps a child was not part of the family before and is now celebrating a first holiday among them.  This holiday in particular is so much about family and seeing the joy in the children that have awaited for so long to be surprised and filled with that wonder that only a child can have.  I also know that there are many individuals who are not in the best of health and today is another day that they may have struggled to get through, in order to be able to sleep peacefully at night with their own hope that tomorrow will bring them renewed energy along with better health.  I will remember all of these people and the one's that are missing from our tables at our place of worship, when we celebrate the most exciting night of the year.  It may be another day for some people, however, I am a firm believer that the best is yet to come for many of us.  I can reflect on another year that was filled with many prosperous instances that made me smile and wonder at what a great world  I live in, no matter how much damage was inflicted upon people during certain times of the year.  Tonight I wish all of my friends and family my personal best and that all of the great wishes that come with this special evening come true.  May everyone be filled with the joy, happiness, health and hope as we embrace this magical holiday that is called Christmas around the world.

This year I was a little behind in writing my Christmas cards, however, I managed to get them out in the nick of time.  I was putting the finishing touches on the envelopes with these festive seals that I had bought and I noticed the last one had the words; "Merry & Bright".  I then looked up both words in the dictionary as I contemplated their true definition.  Merry was defined as; full of cheerfulness or festively joyous.  Bright was; radiating or reflecting light; luminous; shining.  When you put these two words together, the definitions of both are so powerful that it made me continue to think about their meaning, especially as we head closer to a joyous Christmas holiday.  I love the thought that cheerfulness along with luminous can be part of the same conversation.  Ideally during this time of year and especially after the many tragic things that have occurred within our country and across the world over the past year, we can certainly use a large dose of those elements.  For those that have recently lost someone, it may be the toughest holiday yet, however, the days ahead are filled with hope and are lined with that brightness that will finally be able to illuminate the dark period that those people find themselves in.  We can certainly do our part in bringing a festive holiday to those that are less fortunate.  The amount of people in need in all of our communities can be insatiable.  Some of the most needy and deserving people, are the one's that are quiet and say nothing about their circumstances.  We have to keep an open eye along with an open heart, to be able to identify when one of those individuals may be in our path and we can somehow make their day.  The world is in such need of bright lights and a joyful carol, that can sing about the hope and wonder that we can expect with this holiday season.  So remember that if you have a neighbor that goes above and beyond in decorating their home to make things merry and bright for the whole neighborhood from a distance, be thankful that you have such a great reminder in such close proximity.  

As the wind howled over the cold winters night last evening and into this morning, I kept thinking about what the landscape outside would look like when I got up.  What I know about wind is that although it can be a weather wild card, this powerful element usually sweeps up the ground and clears out the brush that may have existed prior to its arrival.  I find the connection to be quite similar to our own lives, when we are filled with many emotions or contemplating dilemmas that can be life changing.  It is then that one should stand still, hear yourself breathe and listen to your heart after the rushing currents of wind circle you with a cool current of unknown.  Normally it is our ability to withstand storms, that allows us to see what can be a brighter morning the next day.  If you find yourself in such a place these days, remember the elements like the inclement weather that can occur outside your window.  If you are resolved to follow what you hold near to you and stick to your convictions, then you will find yourself having withstood a storm that you can later recall may have been the catalyst that moved you forward in your life even further.  Part of our life's journey is to continue to grow and peel away more of the unneeded layers of our life that are no longer useful.  It can be difficult sometimes to let go of the familiar because it is what you know and where we have the greater difficulty is in proceeding through territory that makes you feel uncomfortable due to its unknown origin.  I believe that sometimes our own heart and mind prepares us to take a leap of faith and what happens afterwards can be part of a great period of growth and evolution for us as a result.  Today, think of the many things that you would like the wind to finally sweep away from you and as you stand in the swirl of those currents, thing about about the new person you are becoming.  It won't be too long before you realize that the wind storm has passed, while the landscape around you looks bright, crisp and clear.  The newer better version of you has been forming for some time and this can be the opportunity you were looking for to finally leave the old parts of you that you did not intend to take into another New Year.