HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The new year is stretched out before me like the blank pages of my journal, waiting to be filled with hopes and dreams, thoughts and promises, loves and purpose. I am always energized and excited when the clock makes the tick from one year to the next. This year promises to be very different.

I can't wait for the changes that will come with the inauguration of the nation's first black president. I am already energized by the community activism that has taken off since we, the people, elected Barack Hussein Obama as our 44th President! I love to see the crayola box of Americans come together to help and support each other.

My hope is that even though we will be faced with challenges, in part because of the bumbling of the last administration, that we will come together to climb that mountain. No one needs a mega-mansion and there won't be a moving van following the hearse when we take our last breath, so I hope to see moves away from the ultra-materialism that defined the last era. I want to see more micro-giving, recycling, free-cycling, vintage and thrift and repurposing of clothes, furniture, and appliances. I want to see more bicycling, walking, and carpooling.

2009 also holds out challenges personally and nationally. Personally, I will send my last child off to school in the fall. I am also the new chapter president for Mocha Moms, Inc. here in St. Louis. I've been touched on the shoulder to run for school board, and of course, I intend to keep writing.

Nationally I see us redefining this nation into a more multi-cultural acceptance of each other. I am jumping up and down to see a black woman as the first lady. I can't wait for the stereotypes of black women to be shattered like the new year's eve champaign glasses. There is a ray of light to see an authentic wife, mother, scholar, and professional woman as the real woman we black women have always been.

The economic mess of the last year will still have the recovery in this year and the next. I expect people to come together to help each other. We are in this together and even though there will be more layoffs, there is the promise of new green jobs and rethinking what is our country's purpose. Make something, build something, produce, that is what I hope to see in 2009.

I think my final hope for the year is that we take a collective breath and enjoy the many blessings we have around us. I want to embrace my loved ones and thank God for their contribution to my life. I want to walk and look at the beautiful trees, feel the ray of sunshine, and admire the humanity. Perhaps we will be more decent to each other and know that life is the most precious gift.

Happy New Year, come take the journey!