What?? What?? You say.

Teach me not to write my blogs in Word or something before posting them ... I wrote this whole little epistle on my musings on the New Year and then bam, lost it. Darn thing! (have to admit some user error there). So I've just mumbled my thoughts and you're going "what? what did you say?", so I have to repeat myself. I'd accuse you of not listening carefully but I know the fault lies with me ;)

I said I LOVE NEW YEARS!!!! (can you hear me now?)

I said I've always loved Mondays, new day, new week, time to start fresh ... you know ... "Every morning is a fresh beginning. Every day is the world made new. Today is a new day. Today is my world made new. I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day. This moment--this day--is as good as any moment in all eternity. I shall make of this day--each moment of this day--a heaven on earth. This is my day of opportunity." (Dan Custer) ... or something like that.

But the New Year, well, that's like a Monday only ten-fold!

And I'm not one to look behind me with regret for what might have been. Of course I'm perfectly aware that LAST year I said I'd lose those extra 25 lbs I've been carrying around and yep, I'm still packing them but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. You can bet, though, that I'll be adding it to my list of things "to do" in the New Year. (In fact, I went to the gym today, thank you very much!).

No, I look to the future with bright eyes and a heart full of hope. I believe in hope. I believe in all the possibilities that now lie behind me. Today I can be a totally new me. I don't have to be the same old me. The old year gets to be left behind, why not the old me? So today I am the 2006 model, brand spankin' new!

I sport all the features you came to love over the past 37 years but I've cleaned up the "buggy" issues making this years model much more reliable. I promise to be the best ME I've ever been!

So here's to HOPE, and BELIEVING in ONESELF and in the FUTURE.

Irish Blessing
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.
May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.
May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.