Goodbye 2011! Don't let the door hit you in the butt on your way out!

This is probably the best time of year for me.  The business of Christmas is over with and we ready to put the troubles of the past year behind us and move into the New Year.  Although I am expecting this next year to copy the past two years I will try to remain hopeful that things will change.  Without hope no one would get out of bed.

So here's what I wish for everyone out there for 2012!

I hope our lives find balance and when we have trouble finding it on our own that good friends help us navigate our way back.

I hope that everyone gets the mental health treatment they need regardless of cost.  And remember a good friend is always around the corner when you need him/her.  Sometimes you just have to search a little further and sometimes you never knew who that friend was till the very moment when you needed him/her.

I hope the politicians who decide budgets remember that those who cannot speak for themselves are not invisible.  

I hope everyone reading this takes time for themselves and remembers that they are important.  Everyone makes a difference in this great world we live in.  You matter more than you will ever know.

I hope everyone remembers that the people around you are important too.  Using your turn signal, letting that driver in front of you at the exit ramp, picking up litter in the park or holding that door open for the person carrying so much makes a difference.  Let your love for other people show.  You might just make their day.

When you need a friend, find one.  Someone is always close by. They just have to know they are needed. And someday you might just find that you're the one someone needed.

Reach out to a friend in need.  And listen, just listen.  It is harder than you'd think, but it's more valuable than anything you could buy, borrow or steal.  

Goodbye 2011 and Welcome 2012!