Hope

New Years Day has many of us looking back at the previous twelve months. What went right, what went wrong, what might we have done differently... It's a day of pondering.

It's a day of hope.

Reflecting on the past can help us as we look forward, as we try to make resolutions to improve. We create aims and goals, focus on what's important. We ask ourselves what do we want from life, which direction should we turn.

However, life isn't as straightforward as writing a list and checking it off. Life has a way of broadsiding us, sometimes sending us reeling as we try to cope with the unexpected.

'They' say that facing challenges can make or break us. Sometimes it can do both. Crumbling isn't as bad as the image the word initially conjures up in our minds.

Once crumbled we can rebuild.

A cup full of crumbled soil contains unseen beauty. A cup full of crumbled soil is all it takes to germinate a precious seed. If we nurture that seed, provide it with its basic needs, it can grow into the most exquisite flower. We can't see the beauty in the crumbs. We have to patiently wait for it to unfold.

We have to trust.

So as the sun begins to set on this first day of a new year I am planning to write my lists, work towards my goals, hold onto everything I learnt in the past year, but most importantly of all, I am resolving to remember to trust and to hope.

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning." ~ Albert Einstein