I trust you had a Merry Christmas and wishing you a Happy New Year!
What a year 2022 has been. As I am sure with many of you, we can all look at the past year with mixed emotions. There are blessings and yet moments where you would have preferred to skip that experience or conversation. Within our personal lives, the list of events and milestones can be quite long (especially if you have a large family like ours). Personally, we have experienced the loss of loved ones, and yet the gift of new life with a new grandson!
There have had some big changes and milestones reached in our communities. A few of them would be:
The Bragg Creek’s flood mitigation project was finally wrapped up
The amalgamation of Turner Valley and Black Diamond to “Diamond Valley” was set in motion.
The start of the SR1 project (for better or worse), and for those of us commuting north – more traffic delays!
There are obviously many more projects and changes our communities have experienced over this past year, especially when we factor the activities within the many organizations and community groups. Many of these achievements will enhance our lives and draw our communities closer. Some of the events of this past year have caused division and conflict.
As we look forward to 2023, we want to hope for better. We make resolutions and promises to change. Sometimes the changes stick. Other changes are harder. And then there is the looming uncertainty of the unknown. Our world has changed, and not to be pessimistic, but there are trends that speak to greater uncertainty rather than “back to normal”. With this uncertainty, our local communities become that much more important. For most of us, we can’t impact the macro issues around us. However, we can make an impact within our home and community and commit ourselves to be available to the needs of others around us. What starts locally, can be like the ripples in a pond, that will make a difference and spill into the wider world around us. To quote Aragorn just before the battle of Helm’s deep, “There is always hope”.
So, as we embark on a New Year, I trust that you will carry hope and an outlook on life that positively impacts the people around you.
A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our home to yours!
Lowell Harder
