Please indulge me as I tell this story -

Over the decades of my life, I have made it a ritual to step out for the day on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

This year was the first time in very many years where I saw folks looking each other in the eye, breaking into smiles, and wishing each other happy holidays.

Yesterday, New Year's Eve, was even more impressive this way than Christmas Eve was. People everywhere I went were smiling and wishing each other a Happy New Year. Smiles turned into conversations struck up on the streets and on the bus, between people who quickly went from being total strangers to friends, even if only for a short time.

It made yesterday one of the most beautiful days I ever had in the over-half-a-century of my life. I'm still smiling, just thinking about it as I type this out for you.

If this is a preview of what the rest of my year, and my life, will be like, then I will have led a Blessed life.

Wishing you all smiles from strangers -

Theresa and Family

Theresa--that's wonderful--thanks for sharing that. It's heart warming and yes a very good omen. Congratulations to you & your city.

In a similar vein, something wonderful has happened here in Memphis too. Some brilliant people bought abandonded rail way property and just the end of this year finished improvements and opened it up to cyclists and walkers, runners. It crosses through all levels of our socio-economic strata. No one foresaw what is happening.

It has truly become a pulsing artery of good warm lifegiving ebulience in our community. It's phenominal! It's a skinny park unraveled and ribboning through out Elvistown & surrounds. You can't get enough of it.

Then they opened two more legs of it that connects more and more. It's like this little bee hive of activity buzzing, pulsing, generating community spirit and energy that this ole city ain't never seen in the 25 years I've been here.

Old young, able disabled, all colors, rich poor, hovering, navigating through this tube of foliage where only the trains had previously trod.

Hopefully 2011 will continue on in this most amazing, outreaching, upward looking, encompassing way. Toto, I don't think we're in Memphis anymore!!!!
<warm hug>

The only things I knew about Memphis were Elvis and The Blind Side. It's nice to know that they're progressive, and doing things to encourage the community to get out from in front of the computer (like me right now) and be out in the sunshine and around others. Thanks for teaching me about where you live.

Theresa

What a great post to read for the New Year!! Thank you both for sharing!

I agree with Loucinda. Great stories.
Thank you.