Every End Is a New Beginning

“In the year ahead let us remember and diligently aim at cultivating the values that do matter, like gratitude, kindness and compassion, courage, perseverance, friendship, joy and character and service.”

In the chaos of everyday life, we often find ourselves spending most of our time on things that matter least. At the end of our lives, what our bank account was, the type of house we lived in, or the kind of car we drove will not be important…but the world may be different because of the core values we held true. In the year ahead let us remember and diligently aim at cultivating the values that do matter, like gratitude, kindness and compassion, courage, perseverance, friendship, joy, character and service.

The purpose of this magazine is an attempt to do just that, as we present the experiences of others like us that make them outstanding. This issue carries the interesting and important ways in which former national champion Reeth Abraham has been involved in “Clean up” in the area of sports! Then we have touched on other aspects of life that some of us struggle with, like single parenting, managing our emotions, and parent-child conflicts that so often lead to a life time of regret. We have also showed ways we can keep beauty and health, the natural way, rather than through modern-day creams and pills that can cause devastating results later.

And yes, the community around us is our responsibility. We have received much–not just to spend on ourselves, but to help others less fortunate than us. Reaching out to others and giving to make their lives a little more happy and healthy as well as touplift them through education and health-care is equally important. John Bunyan declared , “You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”

So, what does the new year hold for us? We will celebrate and hope to start afresh, but we may also be anxious about what lies around the corner. Let us think more of the needs of others than we have before. Let us face new challenges with faith and courage. Let us get up every time we fall – and never ever give up!

But what about mistakes we deeply regret? How can we deal with past failures that weigh us down? When one door closes, another opens. We must not look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.

Brooding over the past, paralyses the present and bankrupts the future!

God does not want us to be imprisoned by yesterday, but to be free for today and tomorrow. If we turn to him, he can help us do that! So let us learn from our past experiences, moving forward as a better person with faith in God for the future. It is wise to remember that the first time is a mistake, but the second time is choice! So let us be careful of the choices we make, for it defines our life.

“Two men looked out of prison bars. One saw mud. The other saw stars.”

What do you see?

-Juliet Thomas