When I was a little girl I had a leather bound diary that I filled with pages of typical girlhood entries. They were private thoughts I wanted to keep safe from the world. Weekly crushes, secrets shared with friends, and hopes and dreams for the future. The week between Christmas and New Year’s I was particularly busy writing because I spent time reflecting on the past year and making resolutions for the next one.
I loved that diary and in many ways I now consider this blog as my midlife diary. I fill it with what I think matters most, and although I no longer make resolutions I do set a few goals for the coming year.
This past year has been a difficult one personally. I find my blog to be a place of refuge where I feel free to write about what I hope will help others because I know it always helps me..
Writing is cathartic.
As I reflect on the past year and the insanity of too much violence and terror in the world I can't help but offer hope because there is always more good that exists than evil. Ordinary people are doing extraordinary things to make a difference in the lives of others.
These stories don't make headlines. According to ABC.com the top stories of 2015 included Charlie Hebdo, the Germanwings plane crash, deaths by police officers, the Amtrak train crash, a prison escape in New York and the Charleston church shooting. All are horrific and important for us to know. When these incidents happen they strengthen my conviction that we, as a country, need to do whatever we can to end violence, change gun laws, stop intolerance, teach compassion and find peace.
We also need to honor those who selflessly give of themselves to make a brighter world. For me it's important to read good news. It keeps me hopeful and reminds me every day that life will always be beautiful. There are kind and good-hearted people quietly performing remarkable acts of kindness. Look past what the media is shouting at us. Their reports are filled with sensational headlines that help maintain high ratings for their stations.
Look past them. There are stories of decency, honor and compassion all around us:
When eight year old Sadie Keller launched a campaign to collect toys for children with cancer, she ended up with 13,000 items and personally delivered each to the Children's Medical Center in Dallas. What a special little girl. Thank you, Sadie.
When eight month old Jett desperately needed to get to Johns Hopkins, 1,100 miles from his home, for an experimental cancer treatment that could save his life, his parents became frantic. Baby Jett is unable to fly on commercial airplanes because his immune system is compromised and unable to fight germs that may come his way. That's when James Davison, a total stranger to the family, stepped in after hearing Jett's story and flew Jett to Baltimore on his private jet. What a special man.
When the veteran in this video had a heart attack, spending months recuperating in a hospital, Animal Control took his beloved dogs and put them up for adoption. After the man was back on his feet he visited the dogs but couldn't afford the full adoption fee to bring them back home. After seeing their joyful reunion a group of volunteers donated money to help. Watch this heartwarming video as the man finds out his dogs can return home with him. This had me crying buckets of tears. (NOTE: I think they should have waived the adoption fee for this sweet veteran.)
In a perfect world I'd rescue and adopt every animal. Young, old, abled and disabled. That's why I loved this story about a group of nuns in their 70's and 80's adopting Remy, a sweet, docile 9 year old pit bull who was languishing for months in an animal shelter. The nuns immediately fell in love and bonded with Remy. Their story insprired author Laura T. Coffey to write the book My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts.
Photo courtesy of Today.com
As Louis Armstrong sang, "I see trees of green, red roses, too
I see them bloom, for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world."
I choose to see our world as wonderful, to not dwell on evil, to find joy among the ruins and to feel hope about the future. I hope you will too.
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. May you have a year filled with love, laughter, good health, brightness and hope. Here are some quotes to start you on your way. Blessings from our home to yours.
H "The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart." ~Buddha Quote
A “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor.” ~Henry David Thoreau
P “Peace is not the absence of war, but a virtue based on strength of character.” ~Baruch Spinoza
P “It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.” ~St. Thomas Aquinas
Y “I love those who yearn for the impossible.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
N “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
E “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
W “Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.” ~Sarah Ban Breathnach
Y “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning.” ~Albert Einstein
E “You can change your beliefs so they empower your dreams and desires. Create a strong belief in yourself and what you want.” ~Marcia Wieder
A “Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” ~Voltaire
R “I learned that realism can come in all shapes and sizes. The world is big enough for different values to coexist.” ~Haruki Murakami, The Folklore of Our Times
It was a good year and a bad year. It was full of love and compassion, fears and tears. Taking time to look back lets us go forward resolved to keep connecting to others, raising hope and cherishing love.
Beautiful. Happy New Year, my friend.
So much of what we hear on the news is negative, we sometimes find it difficult to focus on the positive. I once wanted to start a magazine that focused on good news stories only. My family told me nobody would read it because everybody thrives on negative drama. Then the Chicken Soup for the Soul books came out and proved me right. Still, I would love to see our news reporters focus more on the positive things people in our communities do than spend so much time reporting criminal activity. So here's to a more positive 2016 (clink glasses)!
I loved this sweet, meaningful post holding up the light to what is good in the world. The quotes are beautiful, too. Thank you for ending the year with a slice of beauty--big hug for a happier New Year for you and all of us.
This is a perfect way to say goodbye to 2015 and hello to the new year. Instead of wallowing in despair, let's focus on the positive. Stories about do-gooders rarely make the headlines and I'm glad you gave us a few shining examples of good people stepping up to do the right thing. Thanks for sharing this uplifting post, and Happy New Year to you and your family, Cathy!
It has been a tumultuous year for many of us. May 2016 be one of peace and joy and may we have the courage to walk thru the storms that come.
What a great reminder to all of us to look for the good in the world, even though sometimes it's nearly impossible. Happy New Year to you, lovely Cathy!
What a creative and heart warming post. Thank you.
I couldn't agree with you more! Every news story is loaded with tragedy and misfortune. I can't even stand watching TV anymore bc every commercial is about cancer, pharmaceutical commercials, and medical stuff. I need some positive vibes in my life! lol It's all so depressing! Wishing you and yours a joyous New Year filled with positivity and love! xo
Everything you say is so true. There's so much good out there and it's up to us to open our eyes and see it all.
Thanks for the reminders and for your eloquence, Cathy. Happy New Year and may this year bring more happiness and love to you than ever.
everyone should focus more on kindness and the good things in life! There is too much negativity so we need to focus on the positive.
This was beautiful! I echo your sentiments about looking for the good, because there is so much good out there. Not sure why (probably because bad news sells better), but the media has disproportionately focused on negative stories way more than positive ones. I actually remember doing an informal study in one of my college classes (back in the 1980s) proving that negative stories outnumbered positive ones by far. Would be nice to see the journalism tides turn, where we are bombarded with stories just like the ones you mentioned in this article.
Thanks for the reminder that there is more good than evil in this world. (And for all of the great examples.) I'm printing this one out to reread as 2017 begins. (And depending upon what 2017 holds, I may need to reread it more than once as the year goes on.)
I completely agree with you. This year has been tough, and joyous, and everything in between. I LOVE your quotes. You and I are often on the same positivity wavelength!
You are such a bright light in the world, Cathy. This is a great and hopeful post with which to usher in the new year, and I am thankful that you shared it. Mostly, though, I am thankful for your friendship. Here's to a great 2016 filled with positive stories. xoxo
There IS so much good inthe world, but sometimes it's hard to see it. I am grateful for this reminder, which coincides with a discussion Michael and I had about doing more random acts of kindness in the coming year.
Your post put a big smile on my face-thank you! Best wishes for a joyful new year.
There has been so much violence and it all does have me depressed and concerned for my grandchildren. It sure does help to look for the good stories because they are out there if we look for them.
Thank you for sharing this list of good with us, each story is just amazing!
I did not know I could appreciate you more but wow, was I wrong! Thank you for sharing your heart and the world through your eyes. So much love and joy to find when you look for it!
I'm with you about the desire to adopt every animal in need. So heart tugging! We have two rescue dogs and one rescue cat so I put myself on a quota for sad dog stories on Facebook.
You are so wise, Cathy. We *must* look beyond the bad, seek out the good. Thank you for the reminder. And this quote, which I love so much: “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. May it hold so much good we forget all about the bad.
A beautiful post filled with stories of hope and courage. I walked down the aisle to Its a Wonderful World btw. Happy New Year!
There are tangible ways to make good news from the despairing headlines. If you read that a refugee family is struggling, find out how to contact them (often through an agency). Offer to provide new clothing, a gift card to a nearby store, a gas card if appropriate. If an inner city library has cut back on its hours, volunteer to assist with the children who have no place to go. Everyone has the capacity to contribute somewhere, either time, treasure or talent. I worry that people may think adopting a dog completes their obligation to others when it is only the beginning. Important post and one that will keep us thinking how to turn the troubling news into hopeful opportunities.
Cathy- I wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you for this post. It is so important to adjust our outlook toward gratitude and positivity ... And your article is a great reminder as we enter the new year. Thanks!
Beautiful post, Cathy! I am always inspired by good news. Thank you for bringing these positive stories to the end of my 2015 🙂 Happy New Year to you and your family!
I loved this post and I loved what you did with HAPPY NEW YEAR! I need to print that it out and put it up on the wall right in front of me. Such a gentle, hopeful way to approach the year ahead.
A beautiful post. Thank you for sharing. 2015 was an incredibly tough year for me personally...and for so many worldwide. The news has been an almost constant flow of despair. I'm grateful for the reminders of all-things-otherwise shared here.
Those truly are wonderful stories, lovely quotes, and excellent ways to see the world. So much of the goodness in life gets hidden from the bigger picture, only made clear to us when we stop and look intentionally, with thankful eyes.
Thank you for this post, and happy new year 🙂