Hopes For The New Year

Prior to the start of every new year, seems to be the time when we reflect on our lives. We think about the past year and start to wonder what we want moving forward. In order to think about what our hopes will be for the upcoming year, we need to look back. Reflecting on 2018 isn’t easy for me.

My Reflections on 2018

Somebody tagged me on twitter, with the question ‘what was your most memorable moment this year?’ My friends had wonderful memories, but my answer was, “I have to be real – all of my most memorable moments are not good ones.”

During the summer, we lost our home in Sunset Beach, NC. At the time it was a devastating loss because it encompassed 10+ years of memories and was a place I felt was a home to me. But then a couple of months later, my dear friend, Teri, passed away from Leukemia, and then just two days before Thanksgiving, my nephew, Zach, took his own life.

When I reflect on how upset I was in North Carolina, I think how silly it was in comparison to a beautiful life taken too soon. A lesson learned people, relationships and purpose are what life is about and the value of those things is infinite.

I know I started my blog in 2018, but that isn’t a memorable moment. It did give me more purpose and that is where I need to put my focus. What I want to achieve with my life moving forward, and a list of my hopes for 2019.

My Personal Hopes

I read a quote by Andy Warhol recently,

The idea is not to live forever but to create something that will.

I started that this past year with my blog, but was only going to give it a year to see how successful I was. I promised my husband that I would look for a job if I couldn’t sustain myself doing this. That is not the case anymore. I am just going to keep going – writing my life stories, giving you my opinions, asking you all to please be kind, etc … I can’t give up and I won’t. Even if I just make a small difference, it will feel good.

I want to keep giving back in a way that I can. Continue to try and help anyone and be of value in their life. I am working to start an advice column. What else can I do with the benefits of all my experiences in life and parenting, but help another human being who may be in need? A shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, and hopefully some words of wisdom. That is my hope for the future and where I want my success to be.

My kids and my grandchildren won’t care how much money I leave them, that isn’t a legacy. They will know me, the real me. Where I came from, how I persevered and who I want to strive to be. I know I started a legacy years ago by volunteering and advocating for my children. They watched, and now that they are adults, I can see the fruits of my labor. I see them with their opinions and beliefs; trying to make a difference in this world. That is a legacy; I see so much of myself in them.

After getting my Nana Penna’s cookbook and asking questions about my heritage, I realize how important that is to pass on a documented history. There is so much I will never know because of the deaths of loved ones, and there are no writings to pass on, just a cookbook and objects. I want my kids to know as much as they can. Stories can be passed down, but can be inadvertently changed … kind of like the telephone game. I hope to publish a book I can pass on to them.

My Top Ten Hopes for The World in 2019

1. Peace on Earth – an oldie but a goodie. As old as it is, it never seems to happen so it will always have to stay on the list.
2. More acceptance, respect, and love for all human beings.
3. Kindness to be an epidemic.
4. For there to be no more homeless.
5. That no children or adults ever have to be hungry in a world full of such abundance.
6. I hit the lottery, so I can do more to make 4 & 5 become more of a reality. ( I guess that’s personal)
7. That this country does something for the epidemic of mental illness engulfing our people.
8. For Marijuana NOT to be legal, I don’t care what anyone says; it isn’t a good idea. I am good with medical use.
9. There is no more cancer.
10. I hope for people to start thinking more with their hearts and with the perspective of what God would want them to do.

I know these are big dreams, but as Christopher Reeves said:

So maybe if we all summon the will together, they will become inevitable

Final Thoughts for 2018

A prayer for hope by Maria Shriver:

Dear God, please help me to not lose hope. Hope helps me to move forward. Please help me to maintain my hope in myself, in my neighbors, in humanity. Please help me keep my love alive. With hope in my heart, I believe that my best years are in front of me. I pray that is so. Amen.

What are your hopes for 2019? Please let me know in comments below!

Much Love, Health & Happiness to All!

Sandy

#enlighten #empower #inspire #educate and please #BeKind