Happy New Year!
I was going to write a pessimistic post about the pain of 2008- I lost my father. Our vacation home suffered a tornado, I lost money in the stock market, and now we’ve already seen a record snowfall, with winter not yet half over! That’s just my little world. What about the rest of the planet? What about Gaza, what about Iraq?
Then I read some of your Happy New Year posts. I smiled, and remembered the blessings of 2008– my family members retained good health and comfortable homes. No one has lost a job, an arm, a leg, or worse. I started this blog, met wonderful blogging buddies, and I learned digital photography. My third grandchild was born healthy and beautiful, just last week.
Today begins the new year. We have hopes, plans, and dreams. In our mind’s eye, we see ourselves next New Year’s Eve still alive, still healthy, still enjoying the good of life, and celebrating unforeseen blessings.
No one imagines that cancer and death will strike close to home, let alone in the house. No one thinks loss and misfortune will enter boldly and unwelcome through the front door. We suppress the obvious, that life is not only unpredictable and uncontrollable, but that free will is more a fantasy than a state of being.
In spite of the obvious, we still say, “Happy New Year!” The human spirit is hard-wired for hope. The human heart loves before it hates, and heals itself from mortal injury against our most dire expectations. In the knowledge that tragedy and death will take us in the end, we smile, we give thanks, and we set ourselves to the tasks of the day.
For this, I say, Happy New Year!
Marahm 
All the best for the new year, dear Marahm.
I think our positivism is our survival mechanism!
Happy new year to you!
Happy New Year, dear Marahm, to you and your family, especially the new grandchild 🙂
Ya Haqq!
Marahm, what a beautiful, hopeful image!
I understand, I had the same feeling yesterday, about allthe sadness and pain which is currently going on. And yet we should not forget our blesings.
But these days are also always the more difficult times when we miss our lost beloveds the most.
Yet I wish you a very happy new year, and I am glad we got to now each other!
Knowing you has enhanced my life.
Thank you, Friends. May we all be writing the same posts a year from now!
Salaams Marahm:
Jazaka Allahu Khayr for the reminder that we should all remain grateful to Allah (swt). Mabrook on the safe birth of your new grandchild 🙂
I agree with solace…the positivism is our survival instinct kicking in!
Have a good 2009. May you look back upon this year with fondness and no bad memories to speak of. InshaAllah.
Happy new year Marahm. May our joys always be more than our sorrows.
So apparently wordpress ate my last comment….. hmm. It went a little something like this:
Happy New Year!! MashAllah 3alyki! Thank you very, very much for the reminder! In light of recent events I lost sight of the my many blessings. But sorrow does not mean an end to hope, so thank God we’re an innately optimistic bunch =D
I hope you have a wonderful, hopeful new year, Marahm! =)
A belated happy new year to you also Marahm and congratulations on the birth of your grandchild!
xxx
For My Friend Marahm – I wish you all the best in this New Year. We never know what the future brings but I hope yours is filled with happiness, hope, and good health. Congrats on the new grandbaby!
And the graphic is awesome!!! Did you do it? Captain Kabob is turning out some really amazing works now – we now have PS CS2 and CS3. He’s teaching me a few things.
Great post and congrats on the new grandbaby! 🙂