Happy New Year!

Another year has come and gone. Time flies so fast. It’s time to take down the Christmas tree and bring in the New Year with a fresh new start. With the ending of another year of our lives, we must not look back at the past, but look forward to a new beginning with 2016. Bring the past only if you are going to build from it.  ~Doménico Cieri Estrada. What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has all worked together to bring you to this very moment.  And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right now.  ~Author Unknown. This is also the time of the year that many people make “New Year Resolutions.” However, statistics show that after six months, fewer than half of the people who make New Year’s Resolutions are still upholding them. After one year, that percentage drops to about 10 percent. I gave up New Year’s Resolutions many years ago... I didn’t need statistics to realize that I, personally, didn’t keep them either, in a timely matter. I’ve learned, however, that the secret to New Year’s Resolutions is not to make a promise once a year and try so hard to make it work. The true secret is to slowly make life changing habits that become a part of your life. It doesn’t matter what the “Resolution” is - - stop smoking, clean the house, lose weight, exercise more, tithe, or save money - - the end result is so much better if you just slowly make life changing adjustments to make it work. Making a promise on January 1 might lead to let-down in a few months. Once the let-down has occurred, the mentality of trying again is broken. Slowly making changes in our lifestyles makes for a longer lasting effect. Instead of making a “New Year’s Resolution” make a “Lifestyle resolution.” “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein. I hope all of you, our faithful readers, will be richly blessed in the upcoming new year. May you all find peace, love and happiness in all that you do in this upcoming new year. Furthermore, always remember to cherish your loved ones; for one day/year they might not be here to show your love to! Until then... see you around the town. P.S. For all you superstitious folks (like me) remember to take your tree and all Christmas decorations down before the new year (so that you don’t bring the “old” into the “new” year; and don’t wash any clothes or dishes on New Year’s Day, for you may “wash” someone out of your family.