New Year's Day 2008

Today marks a new year! New Year's Day should always be a day when we have new goals set before us. Some of the old-time things to do on this first day of the year are to eat cabbage, black-eyed peas or corned beef. A few people through salt over one or the other of their shoulders. But most of us set personal goals such as losing those excess pounds we carry around, doing at least one good deed for another person each day, or fixing a new flowerbed before spring.

No matter what you do to begin your new year, do it with a better outlook on the year as a whole. Always strive to be a good person to everyone you meet. That doesn't mean you have to treat everyone as if you have known them all of you life. But give each person a smile, even if you don't have the opportunity to say a word out loud to them. A smile will not only allow people to notice that you have acknowledged them, but it will help your own countenance as well. You never know when you may run into that very same person another day, and it would be better to be remembered by a smile than a frown.

Dreams

We all have ambitions we would like to accomplish in our lives. I had plans to join the Peace Corps when I graduated from high school. However, my plans changed in the middle of my senior year when I met the man of my dreams. We were married shortly after graduating, and together we started a wonderful journey called life. Over the years we have had two fine children, a sweet daughter-in-law (we leave off the in-law part because she is so special to us), and a precious granddaughter. We live in a beautiful home, in a small town, in a country with countless freedoms. It would seem that all our dreams have come true, but more is added to life with each passing day.

Each morning when we rise to greet the day, we are thankful for what we have. Everyone has problems that work their way into their lives, but the struggle to get through those problems with family always seems to tighten the bond that makes us stronger. There are times when we can avoid trouble. And there are times when we must work our way through those troubled times. It is a wise person that knows when to do both. No one chooses the right solution to their problems all the time, but we learn very quickly when we have made a wrong decision. One of the main things to remember in life is not that we don't fall, but that when we fall, we should get up and keep on going. It may be only one step at a time. And sometimes, we take a step backwards. But if the steps forward outnumber the steps backward, sooner or later we will reach the goals we have set for ourselves and continue to make even more goals.

I know I have not reached all of my goals. Some of them have had to change along the way. But I know I have a treasure beyond words when I think back on the journey I started with my husband thirty-seven years ago. We have cried, and we have laughed. But we have been through many wonderful experiences together. Dreams are the pathway in life that lead us to where we will go.