And so we look forward to another new year.. another marker in the passage of time. In so many ways it seems as though we passed this way…beginning another year, that is, such a very short time ago. Yes, it is true – the older we become, the faster the time seems to go! And to some, I suppose, the passage of one year to the next isn’t really all that important anymore. There is no magical wand that sweeps across the ordinary moments of our lives, with the dropping of the ball or the chiming of the clock at midnight, that profoundly changes much of anything. Most of us have learned that most or all of the new year’s resolutions that we’ve made in the past only last for so long and we eventually go back to our old ways of doing things. The excitement of a new way of doing things slowly fades into the reality of living every day and getting by the best we can. We gain back the same ten pounds we worked so hard to lose, we get lazy and slow down in the new exercise routine we’ve adopted… and on and on. We are, after all, just humans – creatures of habit. It isn’t easy to change much of anything. And when we look around and see the world in which we live, where there are so very few opportunities in which to be inspired by optimism, it may often seem impossible to move beyond just living from day to day, plodding along the best we can. I believe this veil of darkness has affected us all in some way or another. We walk in fear more often these days. We have difficulty believing any of those who seek to find ways to change things. We don’t trust much of anything anymore. It certainly is difficult to trust or have faith in so many things… It could be a very dismal picture, indeed, if we all totally succumbed to this veil of darkness that wraps itself around so much of what is happening around us.
Yet, I believe there are some things that still exist within the human spirit that can push us to see some other things that lie beyond that veil. Hope is one of those things. Hope – such a small, simple little word, but its meaning and power can make a huge difference in our lives. Hope – trust, reliance, a feeling that what is wanted will happen, expectation. Strength is another one of those things – the power to resist strain, stress, toughness, durability, the inherent capacity to act upon or affect something, to endure, to resist. And Love… ah yes, this word is used a lot, but in its true sense, its power and strength should never be denied. We can never stop loving one another. In its true form, it can bring understanding and respect among people. It can break down walls. It is stronger than hate. And its existence within the heart of each of us is crucial to breaking through the veil of darkness that can begin to trap us all.
There are those, I’m sure, who would question my words. There are those who question everything. And I am just a woman who writes occasionally, who has lived long enough and seen enough to believe that I carry some bit of wisdom along with me, who is an optimist and a believer, and one who tries to keep an open mind and heart. My beliefs and philosophies are fairly simple… nothing majorly profound, but I simply share my writing and thoughts because I am able to. We are all able to. Perhaps some of what I say may make sense to someone else, perhaps it might help bring hope… I don’t know. I just believe that whether the marker of time in our lives is an hour, a day, a week, a month, or a year, it should all count. We should, although we are human and imperfect, and although we may be getting old or facing great challenges, keep striving to make our lives better… not only for ourselves, but for those around us or those whose lives we influence. I may fail at taking off those same stubborn ten pounds for good this year, and I probably will, but I will continue, each day, as best I can, to look beyond that old veil of darkness and look to the light. I may fail at times with this as well, but I hope to pick myself back up and begin again. I’ll fight to be as strong as I can, to continue to have hope in my heart, and continue to try to love and understand the best I can.

~ Carole Carter – words and photograph