HAPPY NEW YEAR
By Helen Steiner Rice

Whatever the new year has in store
Remember there's always a good reason for

Everything that comes into our life,
For even in times of struggle and strife
If we but lift our eyes above
We see "our cross" as a "gift of love"...

For things that cause the heart to ache
Until we feel that it must break
Become the strength by which we climb
To higher heights that are sublime...
So welcome every stumbling block
And every thorn and jagged rock,
For each one is a stepping stone
To a fuller life than we've ever known,
And in the radiance of God's smiles
We learn to soar above life's trials...
So let us accept what the new year brings,

Seeing the Hand of God in all things,
And as we grow in strength and grace
The clearer we can see God's face.