New Year’s You!

A new year.

A new start.

A new YOU?

The new year is all about new beginnings and the death of old patterns and beliefs that no longer benefits us.

On New Year’s Eve in 1998, I experienced my first real brush with death in the physical form.

My father left this world that night after having a stroke and he never regained consciousness.

He slipped away while holding my hand.

I felt empty. Everything I knew had suddenly changed. I no longer had a father.

Losing a loved one puts into stark focus the reality that life is fleeting. We are here for a short time and what we make of it is up to us.

Are you making the most of every day?

We are all guilty of letting our everyday problems consume our thoughts and our energies. Bills, work stress and health issues can all make us forget that each day is a gift.

All new beginnings heralds the end of old patterns, behaviours and relationships. The new year is a perfect time to stop and think.

What is there in your life that no longer makes you happy?

Do not wait for the death of a loved one to snap you out of your trance.

Each new morning we wake, we should cherish as a gift.

Try to see the positive in your llife rather than the negative. I know this is easier said than done, but if you can start to feel appreciation for something small your gratitude will grow.

I no longer feel sad with each New Year’s Eve. I choose to remember the happiness my father brought into our lives rather than the sadness we felt with his leaving.

The full moon is a beautiful thing. Stand underneath it and marvel at it’s beauty. At the miracle that is you.

The wind in the trees, the drop of rain on your skin, the feel of a falling snowflake on your tongue.

Revel in the simple things that can give you joy.

Of course you don’t have to wait for a new year to start new beginnings.

I am going to start today to remember to be grateful for what I have. Not what I don’t.

To love the ones I am with while always remembering the ones that are gone.

To smile with each new sunrise.

To shed what is holding me back.

I am ready, are you?

Cindy Lee

December 28, 2012