Happy New Year, everyone! When I think of the new year, I often think of the opportunity to start over. The slate is clean, opportunity abounds, and hope is in the air.  Maybe you have a list of resolutions or goals for the upcoming year?  I recently saw this quote, “No one can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”

As I thought about that statement, I found I resonated more and more with its conclusion.  We really do not get a clean slate in life.  We all have a past. And the decisions that we have made over the previous year, do not magically reset themselves on January 1^st.  Our strengths and weaknesses in 2022 are the same as we step into a new year.  However, it does give us a natural pause to reflect on the direction of our life, and if need be, alter its course for the better.   A friend of mine used to say that success is not what we necessarily accomplish with our lives, rather, it’s what we set in motion.  We set positive things in motion when we choose kindness over selfishness, mercy over judgment, peace over always being right, and healthy habits over negative ones.  We don’t always succeed in these things, but our goal is to grow in healthier ways just a little bit more this year.

In a recent article in Psychology Today, the author was asked for tips on how to lose weight.  He responded this way: “Eat less and exercise more,” she replied, “Yes, but anything else? I really like eating and I hate exercising.”  The author went on to state that any positive change will involve a period when you must force yourself to do something that provides little reward. In other words, we must push through those moments that are not rewarding or fun

In life there are no do-overs; but we can begin again right where we are, making things better in our lives by choosing new beginnings.  So how about you?  What do you need to set in motion in 2023? God will partner with you in your journey but only you can decide when to begin.

“As the dawn breaks on a new year, let us give thanks for all we hold dear: our health, our family, and our friends. Let us release our grudges, our anger, and our pains, for these are nothing but binding chains. Let us live each day in the most loving ways, the God-conscious ways. Let us serve all who are in need, regardless of race, color, or creed. Let us keep God of our own understanding in our hearts and chant God’s name each day. Let us lead the world from darkness to light, from falsehood to truth and from wrong to right. Let us remember that we are all one, embracing all, discriminating against none. May your year be filled with peace, prosperity, and love. May God’s blessings shower upon you and bestow upon each of you a bright, healthy, and peaceful new year.”

– Rev. Marcy Sheremetta