We each can make 2014 a good year

As we end one year and start a new, we each - in our own way - get the chance to look back in reflection and forward in anticipation.

Personal experiences shape how we will each view 2013.

The loss of a loved one will be the focus for some. The addition of a new one will perhaps be the rememberance of others.

Good or bad, we will soon leave 2013 to the history books.

Outside of our small personal worlds, I will look back at this year with a growing concern.

It's sometimes difficult to view the "progress" of man and judge it in a favorable light.

If you sense a gradual decline in moral values and a creeping loss of freedom, you are not alone.

I doubt 2013 provided any watershed moments that will long follow mankind.

But too, I can't think of a moment the past year that might mark a return to more traditional values.

Regardless, this week we turn the calendar to a new month, a new year.

And with that change comes hope for a better tomorrow.

Since we know that the only certainty is change, we can hope and pray that we move in the right direction.

And as the new year unfolds, ask yourself how you can be a merchant of change for the good this coming year.