At mid-night December 31st the old man hobbled off and a new baby was born. It is the metaphor of wisdom passing the cares of the world to a new and lively baby. A baby who has no idea of the weight he is expected to carry for the coming year. Two things come to mind……Solomon (who was the wisest man of his time or ever would be, according to the gospel) when he said, “With much wisdom there is much sorrow.”

There are a lot of things that make me sad. Cruelty on any level. Damage to anything. Lies and deceit. The list goes on and on but the longer one lives the more he is exposed to sorrow on every level.

Mother’s who cry at weddings have lived through the tough times they know will come to their child either walking down the aisle or waiting at the alter. The tears that escape and run down faces happen because we are losing something. A something that will never be the same again.

Like the end of one year and the beginning of another on a certain day at a certain time we spend a life as the old man leaving and the baby just beginning. A lifetime. For some of us it will be a long one and for some it will be short. The important thing is to live it all with grace and a loving spirit.

Those two things will pretty much take care of anything we come up against in our journey……..

Essentially Esther