HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006 part 1

All over the world, people welcome the new year for it is one of the oldest of all holidays. Most New Year celebrations focus on family and friends. It is a time to reflect on the past and envision a future, perhaps, in a world where people live together in harmony. In the United States we celebrate the New Year on the first day of January but not all New Year celebrations take place on the same day or in the same way! Sometimes this is because people in different parts of the world use different calendars. China and Israel keep a lunar calendar. It is based on the movement of the moon around the Earth. Some countries celebrate in the spring when new crops begin to grow or in autumn when the crops are harvested. Adults and children have many different ways of welcoming the New Year. Wouldn't it be fun to travel around the world and celebrate the New Year all year long?





It's New Years again, and I would expect,
It's time for agendas, and time to reflect.
A time to take inventory, of the year just past, And a time to confront, our errors at last. A time to recall, those no longer here, A time to remember, a time to revere. A time to resolve, for the year now new, To change or adjust, those things we will do. A time to change habits, and really we should, convert them all please, from bad ones to good, A time to thank God, who made night and morning, To see a new day, and enjoy a new dawning, It's time for us all, to seize the gold fleece, Release sparkles of stardust, of love and new peace. A time to embrace, all those we hold dear, To hold them, and wish them, "A Happy New Year!"



New Year Prayer
God grant us this year a wider view,So we see others' faults through the eyes of you. Teach us to judge not with hasty tongue,Neither the adult ... Nor the young. Give us patience and grace to endure And a stronger faith so we feel secure, Instead of remembering, help us forget The irritations that caused us to fret. Freely forgiving for some offense And finding each day a rich recompense. In offering a friendly, helping hand And trying in all ways to understand;That all of us whoever we are ...Are trying to reach an unreachable star. For the great and small ... The good and bad,The young and old ... The sad and glad Are asking today; Is life worth living?The answer is only in, loving and giving. For only Love can make man kind And Kindness of Heart brings Peace of mind. By giving love, we can start this year To lift the clouds of hate and fear. Amen
author- Helen Steiner Rice