"I wish you the fibre the valiant need,
To drive your way through bitter blasts; 
I wish you the heart of the fighting breed 
To carry you through while the fighting lasts."
 

So sings the poet, and with profound wisdom.  Constantly we hear and speak of "the battle of life," and it is a battle, an endless battle against inertia, fear, habit, prejudice, temptation, skepticism and all the other forces that appear to dominate.

A Happy New Year?

Yes, indeed I wish you a Happy New Year.  But happiness, real happiness after all, is that which follows the successful outcome of a real struggle for lofty goals well chosen.  We all must meet some sort of opposition, and often it is -- that the strongest opposition comes from within ourselves. 

So I wish you a "Scrappy" New Year, and the heart to meet it head-on and wade right through it with banners flying, for it takes fortitude and good courage to win. 

I wish you happiness, yes, but not the sort that just happens, but the kind of happiness you earn by tackling and overcoming obstacles, from succeeding in spite of difficulties, from getting to where you want to be by virtue of your persistence, your willingness to learn and your dogged determination.

-- copied from http://FreedomKeys.com/newyears.htm