A New Year and a Return to “Normal”

With the arrival of January 1st, we wish a fond farewell to the year that has past. We pause to remember all the good that has happened, all that we have been blessed with, and all that we’d like to leave behind. The new year always comes with a mixed bag of things for which to be grateful, in addition to a sense of relief that we managed to survive the challenges.
I am confident that among that latter, there are few of us who will miss the political campaigning leading up to the election in November. Regardless of whom we individually supported, would you agree that the media overwhelmed us all with stories, quotes, news reports, comedy sketches, facts and falsehoods? Well, the New Year is here and the election is over and, with fingers crossed, things might return to normal.
It seems to me that “normal” should once again consist of respect for one another and equal opportunity before the law regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin or religious beliefs. Normal consists of recognizing that we all share a common humanity, with common hopes, dreams and aspirations for ourselves and our families. Normal recognizes that we share a small planet with a delicate eco-system with limited natural resources, where there is a ripple effect that impacts us all when we fail to be good stewards of God’s creation. Normal is recognizing principles like the common good and common welfare. Normal means choosing to be a person of “good will” in the face of threats against our neighbors or their need.
If we truly want to celebrate the new year, let us indeed give thanks for our friends and neighbors, our community and our nation, viewing each other as a gift from God our creator and cherishing those entrusted to our care. Isn’t that the normal we all wish and hope for?
Join us each Sunday morning at the Federated Church of Ashland, 118 Main St., where we gather at 10 a.m. to recall who we are before God our creator. There is plenty of parking across the street behind the Town Hall.