It's the most wonderful time...

Christmas!

Geez whiz I love this time. People are kinder, more thoughtful and patient. For the most part, if you get Christmas, and forget about yourself. If you can look past the hustle and bustel and really enjoy this time it's beautiful.

The snow is falling, the Christmas music is everywhere, the Christmas lights light up the sky, Carol-ers scurry along the sidewalk, those bell ringers never fall to appear in front of the stores, It's Christmas time!

As we approach the end of the year we should reflect on what it held for us.
Victories, whoas, accomplishments, disappointments, changes and what failed to do so.
It is of utter importance that we study our last year and realize who much we've conquered. Be it another year of school down, a dream job, a new friend forever, of the love of a lifetime. Goals that have been accomplished or new hobbies, maybe you've even conquered a fear or two.
These are the things that keep us trucking along this path we call life. They grab us and pull us back so we can see where we are headed. Whether or not we can see the next station ahead of us, we can now more clearly at least see the street lamp feet before us.
The disappointments of the last year we can look at in regards to how to make things better, how to avoid the hurt, frustration and short comings. We now know better, and we can expect better for ourselves. We are stronger and more wise, we have bent and not broken and we can rejoice in that victorious fact.

No matter the course of our year, there will always be things just beyond our grasp. We can not control the actions of others, nor should we expect to try. We have to not only accept, but realize that others actions effect us, as well as our actions effect others. We therefore must try to exercise patience and understanding for those that we do not agree with, while not with holding love. We can not know everything, and perhaps eventually our eyes will be opened to what happened, but until then, we have to understand it is not our decision. It is as this concession that we see how we are all so interconnected. We should choose carefully our paths and decisions.
Change will come, it is a promise. We have hopefully grown accustom to this truth and can try and take it in stride, but honestly somethings will always knock us on our butts, no matter the preparation we put forth. The only thing we can do is expect it to come.

I hope we can each look forward to the New Year with sparkling enthusiasm, starry-eyed optimism and just a dab of realism. Know the New Year holds change, expect to get as much as you put in. Press on and know that everything has a purpose. In the words of a new found favorite Maori Proverb "Turn your face to the Sun and the shadows fall behind you".