Welcome, Dear New Year!

There’s hope it will be happier

image by Tchyn on Getty Images

Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier’ –Alfred Lord Tennyson

What a spectacular start you had just a few hours ago! Dazzled with sparkles, golden rain showers, and a myriad of colors dotted across the sparkly night sky.

Despite the bangs, it was serene here in New Zealand. The air saturated with heartfelt wishes for a peaceful and worry-free future. Where quarrels and disputes vanish while forgiveness takes hold. Where guns fall silent, and wounds can heal. Where children will have a space worth living for. Where we stand up for each other. Where people in need will overcome their struggles and peace is the new norm.

If only we could anchor this very moment in our hearts. To make it last until eternity.

This is how you began here in New Zealand—picture-perfect—on a mild summer night under a sparkling starry sky filled with people’s laughter, upbeat music, hugs, kisses, and lots of hope.

And if I had a single wish for 2024, it would be this:

Let everyone in the world get off to a similarly good start; make us humans remember that we have an inherent power to move mountains. Remind us…