Happy New Year! Here’s hoping the year ahead will bring increased understanding, peace, and joy. 2012 was a year filled with challenges and tough lessons such as the fragility of life, hope and dreams. It has also taught us the importance of perseverance, especially when facing seemingly insurmountable odds.
We cross the threshold of a new year at different stages in our lives. Whether we’ve lost loved ones or cherished belongings in the previous year, we still possess something extremely valuable— something we all have something in common. We each hold the instruments that will ultimately color the year ahead. It’s up to us to ensure that the end result will be as much of a masterpiece as we can make it; that we paint as vibrant a canvas in honor of those who have passed and to inspire those who have yet to be born. As we begin construct the collaborative collage that is our future, I hope we will all feel free to do so with the richest colors in our palette; imagination, patience, wisdom, optimism and love.
I understand that 2013 has begun on a bittersweet note for some, especially those who have recently endured hardship and tragedy. There really are no sufficient words that can heal as well as time, but I hope this greeting offers at least some comfort to those who need it. I also hope that you’ll find your way back to joy, or vice-versa. In the meantime, I wish you strength and serenity.