The Joy of Starting Over . . .

Remember when you were a kid? Remember the first day of school? Sure was exciting, wasn't it? Among my favorite things were all those brand new notebooks. There was nothing written in them; they were just waiting for me to fill them up with new ideas and things I would learn. They represented a new beginning. I had a blank slate on which to start over.

Every day can be that way. There is nothing negative about starting over. Each day we have the opportunity to put the past behind us and change our lives as well as those of the people around us. Oh, I'm not talking about big changes that will shake the earth, just little changes ~ little changes that can make a big difference.

Most of us don't realize just how powerful we are. Neither do we use that power. Imagine for a minute that you woke up one day and decided you were going to make a positive difference in just one person's life. Think you could do it? Yes, of course, you could. It isn't really that hard when you stop to think about it.

Doing a little something to make another person feel good is all you have to do. Take a few minutes to talk to an elderly person who lives alone. Send a "just because" card to someone you haven't talked with in awhile. Make your husband's favorite meal. Bring a single rose to your wife. Tell your son or daughter how proud s/he makes you. Tell your mom and dad how much they mean to you.

I'm sure you can think of a hundred other little "random acts of kindness" that would mean so much to someone else ~ things that would bring a smile, ease a pain, build a self-image, make someone feel special. Just imagine what an impact you could have in a year if you added a ray of sunshine to just one person's life every day!

Yes, we do have the power to change the world, just one day at a time, one person at a time. Life is about relationships ~ build them!