By VERNA BROCK
I hope everyone had a happy Christmas, full of friends, family and fellowship. We at Casa de Brock had a very full and fun day!
New Year’s day is quickly approaching as I type this, and as usual, I am ruminating on all that portends. January 1st has always been, first and foremost, my mother’s birthday. Deep in the throes of the Great Depression, my mom was the first child born in Ware County, Georgia on that New Year’s day. There were a few gifts given to her family, in celebration of her arrival, and a precedent was set. Alice was always great at making an entrance!
My family was never much for fireworks and champagne to welcome the New Year, but we always celebrated with the traditional Southern fare. We always had (and have) greens, blackeyed peas, rice and tomato gravy, pork, and cornbread.
This year, dessert will be strawberry shortcake, with made-from-scratch biscuits! It is definitely my favorite meal. And who knows? Maybe I’ll see some of that green in my wallet after all.
All around the globe, tradition requires we examine the past year as we welcome the dawning one. How can we start fresh? Atone for past mistakes? Perhaps even resolve to do better? I guess our human nature needs to feel a modicum of control over the span of events, and making resolutions helps with that.
I have long believed we don’t need a special date to change for the better. In fact, it seems most resolutions are doomed to fail when pegged to one date given great import. My personal experience with self-improvement has been a journey of two steps forward and one step back. My resolve often seems made of wet cardboard.
But what successes I have had in making change have happened because I chose to focus on what was (and is) most important to me. Defining goals, and stubbornly working towards them, has been the most effective way for me to get there.
When I say “stubbornly,” I really mean heels-dug-in, hard-headed determination. But the first step is to actually put into words what you want to realize, and why. If you can’t recognize what it is you truly want, it’ll never happen.
Admittedly, I rarely meet my objective quickly. Sometimes it has taken years, with many roadblocks, detours and obstacles to progress. I expect I will be working towards some of my goals with my dying breath. But I think the secret is to literally never give up.
Take a break, sure. But don’t give up. Determination is the lion’s share of effort.
I hope we all have our share of progress and happiness in the coming New Year. May God bless and hold us all close in 2026!
