The Old Year... The Old Self

The end of another year approaches as does a new one begin. It happens every year and every year I feel a little longing for the past year: some of its joys and triumphs, while quickly forgetting the sorrow brought about by self-centered and grasping emotions. To recognize and note my shortcomings is usually enough but, if I wish the year ahead to be free of suffering, I can do more than that. At least, that is the theory. Before I start my day today I can celebrate it as a Happy New Day. Can I expect a better New Year if I do this business one day at a time? This was once a theory to me but it has become a central fact of my life today.

    The Heart of Compassion is always there to guide and help me find compassion for myself as well as those I might have harmed… either through careless disregard or by blind oversight. Would it be better had I done so consciously and purposefully? I don’t believe so but, thankfully, most are misdemeanors that can be resolved and healed with a kind word or confession. Can I do this for a day? I don’t know for sure but I can say that those few minutes I spend sitting in conscious contact with God at the start of my day increases the odds of doing so. In this way, each day, prayer and meditation puts aside the old self and awakens the new one.

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