Article December 31, 2001 Issue

Looking back, looking ahead

By Richard Bergenheim Contributing Editor

It Seems Only Right that this year the first day of December was wondrously warm and sunny in New York. Our Christmas trees are surrounded by petunias and impatiens that are still in bloom. It's unusual. I know that freezing temperatures are on the horizon, and that at some point the ice skates and sleds will come out of everyone's closets. But there is something about the vigorous assertion of life this December that typifies many of the lessons the year has taught us.

As I think about this year, I'm remembering something that happened a number of years ago. I was walking through Manhattan to my office. Although the sky was clear and sunny, my thoughts were growing darker and gloomier by the block. Everything about the city felt oppressive. The buildings loomed overhead, and the sidewalks seemed more crowded than ever. And I wondered, What is the purpose of my life? What significance does it have in this mass of humanity? What impact could one life have on all of this? Is it even worth trying? I was the one, the only, black cloud in that clear sunny day.

You may have read an account in the Bible where Jesus' follower Peter began to walk on the water toward his Master. But as he saw the winds and waves assailing him, Peter began to sink. He cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me" (Matt. 14:30). I think I know how he felt. The Bible says that Jesus reached out and lifted Peter up and brought him safely into their ship.

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