As I have reflected on the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, I have been reminded of the quote from Charles Dickens’ novel, Tale of Two Cities. The part of the quote with which most people are familiar is, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....” The quote goes on to say, however, “it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us....”
Whether these seem like the best of times or the worst of times, the season of Light or the season of Darkness, we are surely facing uncertain times. And yet, in spite of the uncertainty that we all know lies ahead in 2009, there is a tangible sense of hope that I believe many of us are also feeling as we begin a new era in our nation.
This coming year will surely present us with many challenges, but as I keep reminding myself, where there are challenges, there are also opportunities. We need to reach out to each other, reminding ourselves that no one needs to go through these trying times alone. The times are, indeed, uncertain--but there is surely comfort in knowing that we are facing the challenges together.
