I wrote this on 12/31/2013:
2013 has not been the
best of years for some people, 2013 has been an average year for some people,
2013 has been the most incredible year ever for some people. We pause and
reflect, we say goodbye then hello. We say good riddance and I shall miss you.
Looking back is human nature, moving forward is a fact of science. We cannot
freeze time, we cannot have any do-overs, we can only move forward.
Am I being too pragmatic, too matter of fact? Life is what
it is, but what we take from it is the one thing we do have control over. Do we
learn our lessons? Do we use our experiences, our opportunities to better the
life and experiences that are ever coming at us?
I am here to tell
you, dwelling on the past does not work. I know too many people that are
fixated on a past glory or tragedy and they are not content.
Where is this meandering headed? Happy New Year. May the
days to come bring you balance, contentment, love, grace, and hope.
I shared this on 12/31/2012:
I wrote this on 12/31/2012:
I know a
woman, a widow, in North Carolina who has two daughters, both married. The
older daughter married a minister and they never had any children. The younger
daughter, who is my age, married a man who had a son. She never had any
children either. Her stepson committed suicide when he was 16.
This woman and both of her daughters (I have known
these people for over 20 years) have always been very materially motivated,
very career oriented. They have stuff. Lots of stuff. They
are not really happy though. The two daughters will be lonely, I fear,
surrounded by all their stuff, because they live not in joy but in fear someone
will get their stuff.
I do not have a lot of stuff. I am more prone to
give things away than accumulate. I value intangibles, I think.
Just thinking about things today. Maybe I should have
concentrated more on stuff when I was 30. Intangibles are not real good at
paying the bills.
This year this has caught my attention:
I also wrote this on my Facebook timeline earlier in the
week:
I have a small ritual I perform on New Year's
Eve each year wherein I write on small slips of paper things I want to let go
of and leave behind as I step into a new year with all the promise and
possibility it holds. I then burn them, either in a small cauldron or in a
bonfire if the weather permits having one. The ashes are carried away into the
ether, and I go unencumbered into the new year. At times, I ask people if they
would like me to include their petitions - but only
people I know personally so I can gather the slips and include them in my fire
of new beginnings and they can know the petition has not been read by any eyes
save their own. This year, if you have a desire to be included, set your list
on your heart and enter your name in a comment for this post. I will burn a
blank paper for the list you have in your heart as I burn the slips I have for
myself.
Remember
More
Kind
Grace
Ellen
Tonight, we say a heartfelt farewell to 2016
and a hopeful hello to 2017. We think this has been a rough year – or a great
many of us seem to – though I suspect that it has been no worse than most, and
better than more than a few. There are those of us who have faced sorrow and
loss that brought us to our knees, yet there are those who have triumphed and
excelled in ways we never thought possible.
There is ever that pragmatist in me, those
cellular memories that came from my paternal heritage. My father, Poss Smith,
was the most pragmatic of people. He had a dry wit, and seemed unflappable in
most circumstances. I shared extensively regarding my father on New Year's Eve 2011.
Later, I am burning my name slips for those
whose accepted my offer. With Roger and I included, there are about 24 names
for whom I am performing this ritual. I am amazed that 2017 is upon us. I feel
strongly that these are times that hold high stakes on many fronts, and I am
both optimistic and trepidatious to see what the next twelve months bring.
In closing I share again my words for 2017
More
Kind
Grace
~ Ellen Apple
12/31/2016
