HOPE FOR 2021

Every New Year it's the same story. We hope for a year that brings better results than before, but with all the heartache and financial difficulties that have burdened everyone this past year we are hoping for so much more.

We are hoping for an abrupt end to the COVID-19 virus. We are hoping for our jobs to be reinstated and our economy to boom again. We are hoping we can get a handle on the global pollution problem and climate change crisis. We are yearning to get back to normal.

The COVD-19 virus has created a whole new set of problems and challenges and brought to light some things we may not have wanted to realize or admit, like the fact that our relationships with ourselves and others may not have been that strong, or our health may not have been that hardy. The number of suicides and divorces have clearly shown this and the number of deaths have shocked us. Without a doubt, 2020 has been a year to face some cold hard truths.

The coming year has to be better. It certainly can't get any worse, or so we tell ourselves. How could it possibly get any worse?!

Most of us haven't endured the horrors of war and disease because there hasn't been a world war for 75 years. The last pandemic was the Spanish Flu in 1918 so of course none of us have experienced that either. Our affluence has made life pretty easy and hasn't prepared us for the never-ending crises that began with 911. Floods and fires and tsunami's are just not supposed to happen in our society and no matter how many times we see these catastrophes on the news, they seem surreal to most of us.

It's difficult to stay resilient throughout all this but resilience is necessary. The phoenix rose out of the ashes. You can too. Even when everything is lost there is always hope. One constant in the universe is that nothing lasts forever. Life goes on, times change, nothing ever stays the same. This isn't to say you shouldn't grieve. Grief has to be experienced before healing can occur. Own your grief, experience it fully, then begin to heal. Give yourself all the time you need. The process of grieving must be allowed to take it's natural course for if you suppress it, it will reappear again and again until you have given it closure. Once you have experienced all the stages of healing; i.e. grief, remorse, anger etc. you will become resilient and will feel empowered to move forward and enjoy life again.

May 2021 be a year of healing, life and love for everyone!