New Years is a wonderful time.
It is a time to reflect over everything that has happened over the past year, both the triumphs and failures, and hopefully learn from them and move on better and stronger for the experience.
It is a time that allows everyone to hit the reset button and start over.
Well not exactly a reset button, if life were that simple, but more of an eject button.
A button that allows a person to eject the negative aspects of their lives while keeping the positive.
And just like an individual, Barrhead and Alberta had their own share of both triumphs and failures.
Let’s start out with some of the positives.
Once again, Canadians and Albertans successfully elected new governments exercising their democratic right in numbers not seen in twenty years.
Barrhead area residents also demonstrated that they were able to settle their differences democratically as seen in the successful petition asking the town to take a second look at the aquatic centre and the subsequent plebiscites.
Area residents have also shown their ability to work together moving towards a common goal.
The Barrhead and District Agrena society is quickly closing in on the $400,000 mark in their aquatic centre fund-raising efforts. The society is hoping to raise $1.5 million.
Despite the challenges of the downturn in Alberta’s economy, due to in large part, the low price of oil, Albertans have banded together to help their follow citizens.
Perhaps the biggest example of this can be seen through the efforts of the Barrhead and District FCSS.
Barrhead’s FCSS continues to be an example to FCSS organizations across Alberta.
Even though the province had frozen their funding for the last six years, the staff at the FCSS have continued to provide much needed services to area residents and have even managed to expand their services.
Barrhead residents have also shown their willingness to help people outside their community, province and even their country. Recently, a group of citizens have joined forces in an effort to bring in a group of Syrian refugees.
True there are also examples in which area residents haven’t been as kind or tolerant to each other as they should.
Ask the Barrhead RCMP who have seen a large increase in crime, especially in property crime.
Or to a lesser extent consider the inappropriate comments made during the pool, Bill 6, or a great many other issues, including the Friday night hockey nights at the Agrena.
But then again, it’s New Years and that is why we have the eject button, to get rid of those negatives and start again.
