Firestorms, catastrophic flooding, more and more cases of Covid, divisions, cases of abuse and starvation, and on-and-on, the dismal headlines rob me of my hope for a good new year. I am overwhelmed by all the bad news.  At times I feel helpless and hopeless.

Then, I happened upon the following Facebook post from author and Pastor Andy Stanley:

“I met an 87-year-old man who talks of living through Polio, diphtheria,   Vietnam, and yet is still enchanted with life.  He seemed surprised when I said that 2020 (and 2021) must have been especially challenging for him. ‘No,’ he said slowly looking me straight in the eyes, ‘I learned a long time ago to not see the world through the printed headlines. I see the world through the people that surround me.  I see the world with the realization that we love big. Therefore, I just choose to write my own headlines: ‘Husband loves wife today.’ ‘Family drops everything to come to Grandma’s bedside.’  He patted my hand and said: ‘Old man makes new friend’.”

Thank you, Andy Stanley for renewing my spirit and giving me a new way to view the world and to write my own headlines.  As I look at the people who surround me today, my headlines are: 

• “Grandson Chose to Spend Vacation Time with Us” 

• “An Older Brother Taught His Younger Brother to Surf Fish”

• “An Email from a Niece Brings Smiles”

What are your headlines today?