There is nothing like a new beginning. New beginnings offer all the hope of what might be, and a chance to set aside the disappointments, failures and misgivings of the past. Most important they are gifts that carry with them the spirit of hope.

Every New Year we are all recipients of this gift of hope. For some it is a chance to make a commitment to lose weight or save money. For others, it is a promise to finish a languishing project, exercise more or make a career change.

As we approach this New Year, however, we'd like to take the opportunity to look back instead of forward. We'd like to thank those who made commitments last year to become or continue as volunteer rescue workers or firefighters; to those who chose to spend time working at a food pantry or soup kitchen, coaching little league or working as a Boy or Girl Scout leader. We'd like to say "way to go," to those who made the lives of their friends and neighbors better by thinking less of themselves and more of others.

These men and women are the role models in our communities and an inspiration to everyone who has ever made a New Year's resolution with limited success in the past.

This year, we can resolve to make our own lives better by joining the legions of those who have, throughout the past year, helped to make the lives of others better. It's a resolution worth keeping.

Happy New Year.