New Year's Blessings

May the new year bring
The warmth of home and hearth to you.
The cheer and goodwill of friends to you,
The hope of a childlike heart to you.
The joy of a thousand angels to you,
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.
(Traditional Irish Blessing)

I'd like to provide you with some eloquent words of wisdom this last day of 2008. All I have to say is good riddance! Uh...not you but the past 366 days (remember it was a leap year). Evidently 2009 can't come quick enough for many of us after poking around the Blogosphere today.

Many of us have shared difficult times financially. Illnesses and losses have made grief a common thread. Worry, stress, and anxiety about our future...the world's future is at a level I have never experienced in 46 years on this planet. And yet this evening, the last few hours of 2008, that last thought gives me great hope. Seriously. When things are this down there's no direction left but up.

My dreams for the new year have me smiling at neighbors I never knew I had. They are filled with people of all color, countries, religions, and creeds coming together to make peace with one another so we can solve each crisis that keeps so many of our kind in peril. These are dreams that are filled with hope - sometimes just a sliver of it but enough to keep a passion of love and faith alive within my soul. My faith and love is in each one of you. Every one of you wonderful folks that have visited here this year.

The prayers, the comments, the humor, the darkness, the walk of life we all face - these things are treasured not only by me but our entire family. I never mentioned it but Joan was an absolute broken person before she read the comments after Ben was hospitalized last month. To be honest my eyes well up as I type this, thinking of the kindness of folks we may never meet. How strange that something so impersonal (the internet) has enabled us as humans to reach out to so many who need so very much.

As 2008 closes perhaps it wasn't so bad. We made friends for life. We met another PKS family who are now a part of our physical family. We did the best we could and we'll still end the year smiling.

Like I said I have some dreams for our future. If anything this year's events taught us its that incredible dreams do come true (cue MLK speech)! The Waddells wish you the very best in 2009!