London, Winter. 1928 Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson. Wikioo.

As 2021 draws to a close, we cannot breathe an unmitigated sigh of relief. We have all experienced another hard year because of the pandemic and are still facing some uncertainty about the new variant.

We may feel the need to qualify our ‘Happy New Year’ wishes with statements like- ‘hope it’s better than last year,’ ‘stay safe,’ and so on.

How then, can we view this coming new year and the associated customary celebrations, which many of us may not be able to have anyway?

This is a situation unique in living memory, and we need to find new  ways of thinking about the approach of the new year.

“This too shall pass” is a phrase that is highly relevant to this pandemic; other viruses have been and gone and this one will inevitably follow the same course.

But when will it leave us? When will we able to turn on the radio in the morning and NOT hear any mention of the virus? Can we dare to hope it might be this year…. or the one after….?

These are the kind of questions that must occur to us all, as we face the start of a new year.

I offer these quotations and images to provide food for thought and some comfort at the end of this most challenging of times in all our lives.

My wish is that you may see them as a gift for 2022, offered with love- and hope – as the year draws to a close.

James Tissot. A Passing Storm. c. 1876. Wikimedia Commons.

“When the storm seems to overpower you, hold tight, for it is only passing.”

Hiral Nagda

Gustav Klimt. Attersee. Wikimedia Commons.

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.”

Helen Keller

Effects of light (1922 – 1926) – Adriano de Sousa Lopes. Wikimedia Commons.

“There is a LIGHT in this world. A healing spirit more powerful than any darkness we may encounter. We sometime lose sight of this force when there is suffering, and too much pain. Then suddenly, the spirit will emerge through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call and answer in extraordinary ways.”

Richard Attenborough

The Door of Spring. Henri Eugène Augustin Le Sidaner. Wikioo.

“And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been.”

 Rainer Maria Rilke

Klimt. The Kiss. Wikimedia Commons.

 “Love is really the only thing we can possess, keep with us, and take with us.”

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Landscape in the Snow. Vilhelm Hammershøi. Wikioo.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language
And next year’s words await another voice.”

T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Andy – Remembering [2015] Gandalf’s Gallery. Flickr.

“Learn from yesterday. Live for today. Hope for tomorrow.”

Albert Einstein

Snow Near Lasswade. William Mactaggart. Wikioo.

“In every crisis, doubt or confusion, take the higher path – the path of compassion, courage, understanding and love.”

Amit Ray

Monet. Snow-Effect. Giverny-1893. Wikimedia Commons.

“The Eskimo has fifty-names for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love.”

Margaret Atwood

Waiting.  Federico Zandomeneghi (1841–1917). Wikimedia Commons.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Leo Tolstoy

“Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you.”

Ovid

Breton Village Under Snow. Paul Gauguin. Wikioo.

“New Year’s Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written.”

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Paris in the snow. Paul Gauguin. Wikioo.

“But there was a special kind of gift that came with embracing the chaos, even if I cursed most of the way. I’m convinced that, when everything is wiped blank, it’s life’s way of forcing you to become acquainted with and aware of who you are now, who you can become. What is the fulfillment of your soul?”

Jennifer DeLucy

Gustave Loiseau – Landscape Under Snow [c.1898-99]Gandalf’s Gallery. Flickr.

“Through each crisis in my life, with acceptance and hope, in a single defining moment, I finally gained the courage to do things differently.”

Sharon E. Rainey

Untitled (Trees in Snow).1883. George Elbert Burr. Wikioo.

“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.”

Haruki Murakami

“I have seen many storms in my life. Most storms have caught me by surprise, so I had to learn very quickly to look further and understand that I am not capable of controlling the weather, to exercise the art of patience and to respect the fury of nature.” 

Paulo Coelho.

My Summer Studio – (John Henry Twachtman)Wikioo.

“One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.”

Henry David Thoreau

Summer Heat. Peter Graham Ii.Wikioo.

“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.

And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”

 Albert Camus

Storm Cloud. William Mactaggart. Wikioo.

Excerpt from ‘To Bless the Space Between Us’ by John O’Donoghue (2008)

“This is the time to be slow,
Lie low to the wall
Until the bitter weather passes.

Try, as best you can, not to let
The wire brush of doubt
Scrape from your heart
All sense of yourself
And your hesitant light.

If you remain generous,
Time will come good;
And you will find your feet
Again on fresh pastures of promise,
Where the air will be kind
And blushed with beginning.”

*******

I sincerely wish you all the best New Year possible, and hope that my blog posts will continue to bring you some warmth and insight and, maybe, some new Ways of Thinking to carry forward into 2022.

❤️

©Linda Berman

If you have enjoyed my posts this year, please do follow my blog for 2022. I have many more interesting topics to share with you. 😃 Linda.