Hope for the New Year

On this New Year’s Day, I am reflecting on the past year and looking forward to 2011. Our celebrations are always quiet. As I search my Facebook news feed, I see the parties, the expressions of good riddance to the past year (difficult for many), and the excitement for new opportunities. The hope. I think that is what New Year celebrations are all about. No matter how bad the previous year was, this is a new chance. In reality it’s just another day. However, once a year we put away the old calendar, put away the past, and look ahead. We can dare to hope for something better.

What do I hope for in 2011? I would like to see an end to the divisiveness in our country. Isn’t it possible to disagree but still show respect for our fellow citizens? Can we research issues and think for ourselves instead of jumping onto a sound bite bandwagon? Many try to claim that this is a Christian nation but show no love for their fellow human beings. Can we try to accept each other and love each other for who we are or in spite of who we are? I hope that we can tackle the greed, selfishness, and ignorance in this great country of ours and move ahead together. I hope for peace at home and across this world. I try to be hopeful.

Personally, I hope that my young adult daughters can support themselves in work that they enjoy, have access to health care, and find meaningful relationships with other people. In these times, those things are not a given and they and other young adults struggle. I hope that my retired husband and I can afford to enjoy a few simple trips, and purchase things we need and want—not easy as we support an unemployed daughter. I hope that I can move forward and stretch myself in many ways—in meaningful work (paid or not), in my faith, in my relationships with my family and friends, in care of my mind and body, as a citizen of this country and this planet. I have great hope in all of this. I am an optimist by nature.

May hope, faith, and love carry us through whatever this new year of 2011 brings.