A change of heart for the New Year

       I always enjoy watching Christmas movies during the holidays.
      I usually catch a few Hallmark Christmas movies, but this year I haven’t watched many. However,     I did watch “Christmas Vacation” a half-dozen times and “Elf” a couple times. 
     One of my favorites is “It’s a Wonderful Life” staring James Stewart. I watched a portion of the movie on Christmas Day. What a classic with a powerful message.
      Another of my Christmas favorites is the “The Muppets Christmas Carol,” starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Tiny Tim, Rizzo the Rat and a host of Muppets.
      The movie has such a powerful message of love and seeing the best in others and in life.
     That reminds me as we all head into the new year of 2024, that the positives in life far outweigh the negatives.
     There is a lot of crazy stuff going on in our world these days from high gas and food prices, wars around the globe, political debates that seem to never end, families all across this country struggling to make ends meet and division, so much division, over a myriad of issues. There’s also lots of opinions and untruths floating across the airways that are not truthful. I encourage you to take what your see and hear with a grain of salt. Don’t let someone’s opinion cause you to waiver in the future. 
     At the close of the movie when Ebenezer Scrooge has a change of heart after being visited by the spirts of Christmas past, Christmas present and the Christmas future, he sings, “Thankful Heart”
 
“Life is like a journey
Who knows when it ends?
Yes, and if you need to know
The measure of man
You simply count his friends
Stop and look around you
The glory that you see
Is born again each day
Don’t let it slip away
How precious life can be
 
With a thankful heart that is wide awake
I do make this promise
Every breath I take
Will be used now to sing your praise…”
 
And I add this, to do good things onto others.
     I don’t know what the future has in store, but I know what I have in store for the future…a grateful and thankful heart to see the best in others and to be a difference maker in this world. I hope you will join me on this journey.
       It’s the best diet for a better new year.
     Sometimes in this world, especially on Facebook and social media, people often focus on the negative or look for the negative in others. I challenge you in the new year to find the positives each day in your life and in others.
      Don’t worry about what you can’t do or didn’t get done, instead, focus on what you did do or can do and do that.
       It might be something small that seems insignificant, but it’s not.
     Write down in a journal each day one good thing you did and each month or every two or three months, read what you wrote and think about all the ways you’ve made this world a better place for others.
     One good thing leads to another.
    It might be something as simple as letting someone go ahead of you in line at the grocery store, donating to a worthy cause that helps others, helping a neighbor with a chore or task, volunteering your time or sending a letter to a member of the military or someone who needs to hear an uplifting word. 
     I leave you with this. Blessings in the New Year to you and your family.
     Your dreams are possible in the new year! 
     Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day. 
    Editor’s note: Portions of the words from the song “Thankful Heart” was used from “The Muppet Christmas Carol” soundtrack.