A Plan for 2013 — Express Love More Often

As this column appears, it is almost time to close out this year and ring in another year. This week, for many people, is a week of disappointment and depression. They look back on what they see as failure or incomplete plans made for 2012. Rather than looking with disgust or disdain upon this year that is passing from us very quickly, I suggest we let it go as it was lived out. At this point in time, there is not anything we can do to change anything that happened. For some people, it could have been a good year. For other people, 2012 might be remembered as the most awful year of their lives. Good or bad at this point in time, there is little, if any, that can be done to change the events or circumstances of this year.

I am an eternal optimist. Being an optimist does not mean I never see anything bad. Of course looking back on this year, for me, there was much bad. It seems the culture continues to slip further into a bottomless pit of immoral activity and behavior. Many people have been killed this year. Abortion continues to take life from babies. Mean, evil people, some deranged and others very sane, have taken lives by murder this year. Our economy continues to be in shambles with what seems to be no leadership in Washington to offer much hope of turning it around. All of the above being true, I cannot change any of those events from the past. The attitude I have is to move into the new year of 2013 clinging to hope that people can change and that we begin to see leadership rise to the top with answers for the issues we face as a nation.

While it is easy to invest time in the negative, it is much better to be able to ring in a new year thanking those public servants in law enforcement and fire protection who risk their lives to save life and property. We owe a debt we could never pay to the men and women of our military, as they volunteer to serve in military service assuring our freedoms remain. Educators in our schools continue to be faithful in serving the next generation of adults as they pour their life into the little ones in their classrooms. The vast numbers of people in our society who volunteer to assist people in need often serve under the radar, but certainly deserve our thanks. Health care workers from the local doctor’s office to the hospitals and nursing homes across the country deserve our thanks as we move into this New Year. Business owners who are willing to take major risks by continuing to employ people and help the job market should have our thanks also.

From where I stand, my plan for 2013 is to express my love and gratitude more often to all those people who serve others unselfishly daily.

Have you made any new year's resolutions yet? Tell us in comments. 

Follow Ray Newman on Twitter — @RayNewmanSr.