“We have a whole new year ahead of us, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could all be a little more gentle with one another, and a little more loving, have a little more empathy. And maybe next year at this time we’d like each other a little bit more.” —Judy Garland, 1964.

I was stunned when I picked up a film clip of this message from a friend’s Facebook page a few days ago.) How incredible that Judy Garland’s New Year’s sentiments of 60 years ago seem so relevant in today’s troubled world.  So thanks, Stefan Murray for making me reflect on ways that folks here at lakeside can foster goodwill and harmony in our community over the next 12 months.

It seems as though isolation, fears and even brain fog caused by the Covid pandemic have spawned a parallel epidemic of hatred and meanness. We can all help counter this unfortunate trend by putting Garland’s words of wisdom into practice.

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