Old Year, New Year, and - ?

So we gathered with good friends and shared heavy hors-d'oeuvres and played silly games and laughed until we were doubled over.  As the ball dropped in Times Square, we put on our party hats and kissed each other and blew our horns and toasted the new year. 

What for, I wonder? Why should the arrival of another year be any particular cause for celebration?     I mean, do we really expect anything to be any different just because the clock ticked over?

Well, it's custom, I said to Demetrios, an excuse for partying, and we did enjoy it, after all.

Only later did I realize it's really a celebration of hope, isn't it?  Hope is definitely very much worth celebrating! 

"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."  (Romans 5:5), but I like the NLT version:  "And this expectation will not disappoint us. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

So ring the bells, blow your horns, light those fireworks, and let's all raise a glass to Hope!