A different kind of wish list for the new year

Photo: Renee Merrifield MLA / Facebook

Dropping off donations to the Central Okanagan Food Bank

By the time you read this, Christmas will have just passed. While material gifts can be fun and bring temporary joy, I wanted to give you a different kind of list for this next year.

Kind of like Amy Grant’s "Grown Up Christmas List."

I am asking for this year is peace, prosperity, peace, and love for our city, and for us all.

Peace is something that we all long for, and so desperately need in today's world.

From international conflicts in Peru, Iran, and Ukraine to interpersonal tensions, it seems like there's always some form of unrest lurking just below the surface.

Imagine if we could all take a step back, take a deep breath, and commit to finding peaceful solutions to our problems.

Imagine if politics aimed to unite, rather than divide.

This has been a tough year for most. Inflation, cost of living, and economic uncertainty has been in almost every headline over the last twelve months.

To counter this societal anxiety, I wish us all prosperity. Prosperity in the form of lessening inflation, means to make ends meet, and economic prosperity.

I also wish us prosperity in more than just material wealth. It's about having the resources and opportunities we need to live fulfilling and meaningful lives.

For some, that might mean having a good job and financial stability, while for others it might mean having access to education and healthcare with an improved healthcare system.

I also wish you hope.

Hope is something that can be hard to come by in difficult times, but it's also something that can help us get through even the toughest challenges. When things seem bleak, it can be easy to lose sight of the future, but it's important to remember that there is always hope.

Whether it's hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a cure to a particular illness, or hope for a more peaceful world, we must hold on to it and let it guide us through the tough times.

Finally, there's love.

Love is perhaps the most important thing on this grown-up Christmas list, because it's the foundation of everything else. Whether it's love for our families, our friends, or our communities, it's what brings us together and helps us weather even the toughest storms.

It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, but it's important to take a moment to reflect on what truly matters – the people we love and the connections we have with them.

So, as we approach the holiday season, let's forget about the material gifts and focus on what really matters – peace, hope, prosperity, and love. These are the gifts that will truly make a difference in our lives and in the world around us. And this is my wish for us this Christmas season.

My question to you this week is this: What is your Christmas wish?

I love hearing from you and thank you for all of the engagement this last year! Please email me at [email protected] or call me at 250-712-3620.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.