In 2015, I wrote a post about new beginnings, specifically not waiting until the new year (or a Monday or the first of the month) to make changes in our lives. I still believe that – every morning when we wake up brings us a new opportunity to change ourselves for the better. There is a feeling that comes with the calendar changing to a new year, however, that makes one feel a bit different.
For me, it’s like being reborn (I guess that’s why the new year is represented by a baby!). Jan. 1 brings a feeling of cleanliness, shaking off the impurities that have accumulated during the previous 365 days. It brings excitement about the unknown, like the feeling you get when you anticipate a gift, and, most of all, it brings hope – hope that our wishes for ourselves and others will come true.
I have enjoyed a feeling of contentment during this holiday season. That was not necessarily the case in the last two years. Although I enjoyed Christmas, it was rather bittersweet. As I trimmed and untrimmed the tree, I would look long and hard at each ornament, thinking it might very well be the last time I would see it. This year was different, however, probably because I had passed my “expiration date” and all was still well. I enjoyed every minute of time with family and friends, and as the clock struck midnight on Dec. 31, I was truly happy and full of anticipation of what 2017 would bring. I was free of the tethers that had bound me since my doctors had told me I was terminal.
I realize that my roller coaster ride of fighting cancer will continue in the new year, but 2017 will also bring many gifts — some of which I’m already aware of, like being able to continue teaching full-time, and others that have not been unwrapped yet. Heck, 2017 itself is a true gift!
I hope you, too, will begin the new year feeling excited and hopeful – looking forward to the blessings of 2017 and letting go of anything that happened in 2016 that did not meet your expectations. That’s the beautiful gift a new year brings — renewed hope.
Share the strength.
Sharing the Strength 
Ann you are such a strong, positive, and beautiful person. You are an inspiration to others who are well or not well. I feel blessed each day I wake up and try to live it as if it may be my last. I wish you peace, joy and comfort in this new year.
Thank you so much for such kind words, Julia — they warm my heart! I know you’ve been through so much yourself — I wish for you the same peace, joy and comfort in the new year!
Well said my dear friend. Happy 2017. Cheers to new beginnings and renewed hope. Love you.