Who can believe that the New Year is upon us?  Where in the world did 2007 go?  While pondering all of what a new year means to me, a new start, a new horizon, a new diet… I  find my self reflecting the prospects of the New Year.  It’s almost as though you are being given an opportunity to wipe clean the slate of 2007 and get a fresh start with 2008.

In the spirit of my fresh, clean slate in 2008, I was thinking of ways that I could wipe away any troubles or pain from 2007 and I came across a quote from the famous author, Charlotte Bronte, who once said, “Life to me appears too short to be nursing animosity or registering wrongs.”  And thus, I plan to host a Forgiveness Party.  Can you imagine a better way to start off a brand new year?  Think of the weight that will be lifted from your shoulders!

My  plan is to invite a few of my closest friends to an evening of forgiveness.  I want to give myself permission to forgive myself for any thing I think I might have done wrong in 2007, and I want to forgive anyone who I feel might have wronged me in 2007.  All the animosity, all the feelings of regret wiped out in one fell swoop!

I’ll be passing out 3X5 cards to those attending my Forgiveness Party, and we will write down the name of anyone we feel that we need to forgive, and we will write down any transgressions from 2007 for which we feel we need to be forgiven.  These should be written down in secret, unless someone feels a particular need to share with the others.

When everyone has completed their cards, you should go outside and start a small fire in your grill or your fire pit, if you have one.  Then everyone should tear their cards into little tiny pieces a feed their lists of transgressions and transgressors right into the fire to represent that the ill will is now gone. You might hold hands while standing around the fire and say a prayer of forgiveness.  What an uplifting experience!  What a way to start the New Year!

When everyone comes in serve hot chocolate or specialty coffee.  January 20th   is National Butter Crunch Day, and January 27th  is National Chocolate Cake Day.  These are just a few things that you might serve to your guests.  Personally, I feel that a nice slice of chocolate cake can heal a lot of things, but perhaps you or your guests have made New Year’s Resolutions which forbid chocolate cake.

And speaking of New Year’s Resolutions, I plan to make some this year.  I don’t always make resolutions at the start of a New Year, and if I make them I don’t always stick to them.  It occurs to me that perhaps, I ‘m not being successful with resolutions , because I’ve made my resolutions too big, and too unattainable.  Instead, if I make a more realistic resolution, I might stick to it better, which would in turn should create quite a feeling of accomplishment.

Thus in 2008, I resolve to do one nice thing for a person every day.  You might scoff and say, “Well, anyone could meet that goal,; it’s easy to be do one nice thing each day.”  To which I would reply, “Yes, I want it to be easy, so that I do it more, and it becomes a greater habit.”  I plan to look for ways each day to be kind, to go out of my way to find a way to pass a kindness.  Each day I will look to seize an opportunity of kindness.  I’m putting a “Do One Nice Thing” note on each and every day of my 2008 planner.  And each day I go out of my way to be kind to someone else, I will check that off my to-do list and be reminded that I am accomplishing a goal, and passing some joy to others.  If you choose, make hash marks next to the item and see how many times you can pass a kindness during a day.

January 24th is National Compliment Day.  Passing a compliment is a great way to share a kindness with others.  So, often we get wrapped up in doing, going, and being, that we forget to take a moment to look around us and see the greatness in others.  Take time to pass a compliment, and you are sure to brighten someone’s day.