Happy New Year: My Wish

A new year and a new decade are upon us. Ruminating about the past and projecting into the future are interesting, worrisome and exciting excercises. Surely we have been blessed. At the start of this last decade we had only the one grandchild, Noah. By the end Ari, Molly, Emma, Megan, Owen, Ryan, Ian and Jack joined us. Such joy! By the end of this next decade, Ari, Noah and Molly will be in college or the working world; Emma, Megan, Owen, Ryan and Ian will be in high school; Jack will be in middle school, and we will be in our mid-70's! Egad. So what do I want for them? for us? for our adult children? for the larger world? I think I can sum up what I wish for all of us: Hope. I hope that the world will be a prosperous, healthy, tolerant place where our grandchildren can thrive. I hope that they can pursue their dreams, that they do not have to worry about health care costs and coverages, and that we as a country are at peace, not war. I hope that we are well enough to not be a burden on our children, and maybe even still be able to enjoy physical activity and travel. Though I know each will experience his/her own hardships and heartaches, I hope none of them permanently derail their lives. I hope we all have hope, as individuals, families, and a nation.

Tip #53: Be wary of being negative around your grandchildren. If all they hear is gloom and doom, how can they be optimistic about their futures? Yes, this last decade has been troublesome, and many of us experienced terrible financial woes as well as worry over things like swine flu, global warfare, and the ecology. But our grandchildren need to believe that there will be a viable world in which they can establish their independent lives, and we need to not crush that belief with constant negative carping about how terrible things are. I am not suggesting that we put our heads in the sand and not deal with the realities of our struggles, but we need to not put such a negative spin on everything that they despair. Help them see how they can make a difference!