There is a verse I read on an American Greeting Card which read:  "Hope is not pretending that troubles don't exist....It is the trust that they will not last forever, that hurts will be healed and difficulties overcome.  It is the faith that a source of strength and renewal lies within to lead us through the dark to the sunshine."

Let us keep in mind as we forge forward on our journey through the difficult winter to emerge and bask in the sunshine of spring.  It is coming... I promise!  In July when we are complaining of the heat, retrieve those pictures you took this winter.  It is not that these snow storms all of a sudden got smaller or the winter has lessened.... it is just that they have lost their ability to overwhelm.  Think Spring!

New Year 2014 -- A New Chapter

I look at this new year as a new chapter in my life, and as this new chapter opens, it is  full of hope, excitement and curiosity.  I am anxiously anticipating being involved in family activities as always.  Ball games and recitals and holiday events to name a few.  Mind plans are in motion for activities and outreach programs for hospice.  I am trying not to dwell on insecurities with healthcare plans and cutbacks but to rely on my faith to keep me moving on through the dark tunnels we all face in life. I believe it is important to concentrate on the positives, and to laugh at silly things.  I want to skip through life like a child and be happy with what we have.  As I watch the Rose Bowl Parade with the theme, "Dreams Come True", I think how appropriate to start the New Year.  Dream a little or a lot, anything is possible during this year, and we can do anything we put our minds to.  Have a great chapter!