No Resolutions—Hope for the New Year

Since I didn’t have to wake up early this morning, I did. I lay there thinking about how this year has gone and pondering my hopes for the New Year. I don’t like resolutions, so I decided on hopes this year. After several minutes of deep thinking, I tried to go back to sleep, but Katrina decided to start yowling at the top of her cat lungs.

I checked Facebook to see where my blog rated this morning in Healthline’s best health blog of the year contest and saw a post by author Linda Apple that said, “A New Year’s Resolution is something that go in one year and out the other.”  Linda said that’s why she sets goals instead of making resolutions.

I liked the idea of setting goals too. A goal should be measurable so you can see your progress. For instance, instead of  a resolution, “I’m going to lose weight,” you could set a goal to “Lose five pounds by Valentine’s day.” Makes more sense, doesn’t it?

Still, I’m going with New Year’s Hopes this time, simply because hope is so important. Of my many hopes, I chose five to share with you.

1. I hope that real progress is made to find a cure and effective treatment for Alzheimer’s. I’m not hoping for something that might work someday—I want results NOW. With 5.4 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer’s, I hope that researchers find therapies that really make a difference in their quality of life and their caregivers’ quality of life. My hope is that a prevention will be found so that as we Baby Boomers age, the projected 10 million cases of Alzheimer’s doesn’t happen.
2. I hope my family stays healthy. This has been a tough year for my family. In November, my brother Donnie lost his long battle with debilitating strokes brought on by brittle diabetes. A scant three weeks later, my thirty-nine-year-old niece Angie lost a year-long fight with colon cancer. My cousins Bonnie and Alyce died and my Aunt Lavera died from Alzheimer’s. When loved ones leave this world, we feel an emptiness that can’t be filled. They are alive in our memories, but how we miss being able to joke with them and hug them close to our hearts. Our family has lost enough to last a long time. So my hope, and prayers, are that my huge, dysfunctional family stays healthy and happy throughout the year(s) ahead.
3. I hope for World Peace. Okay, I know that is a huge order, but if I’m going to hope, I might as well hope big. I know from the way Vietnam affected Jim that going to war and killing other human beings is a burden that rests heavy on a soldier’s soul. So many aspects of war leave both visible and invisible scars. Each soldier’s death is a tragedy, not just for the people who love them, but for all of us who reap the benefits of freedom.
4. I hope for school safety. I hope that parents can send their children to school with confidence that they learn in a safe environment. I hope that real solutions are found and the safety of our children are put first, and that we realize there are no simple answers. I hope that serious thought is given to making school a safe haven instead of the status quo of political rhetoric and special interest groups.  
5. I hope for HOPE! No one in this country should be without a way to fulfill his or her basic needs. I hope for homes for the homeless, jobs for the unemployed, and food for the hungry. I hope for emotional needs to be met—love for the lonely, friends for the outcasts, family that is supportive, empathy for the struggling, and compassion for the less fortunate.

I have many other hopes on my list. It really isn’t so important what you or I hope for, but that we never lose hope. The final hope that I’m sharing with you today is that you have a New Year filled with health, happiness, and love.

Copyright © December 2012 by L. S. Fisher

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