Tonight is the start very special Shabbat weekend. Sunday, the sun will set and day will turn to night. Then, as always, the night will give way to the sun, as it will rise rise again to mark the start of a new day... When it comes to this natural dance of duality, that next day, Monday, is no different than any other day that came before it. However, in truth, Monday is so special that many of us will anxiously wait by the clock to watch it strike midnight so that we may greet it. We hold our next Monday in such high regard, because none of us have ever faced such a special day like it before. Because this Monday isn't just any other day; rather, it is the start of a new year. At 11:59 pm, we each will finish the 365th page of chapter 2017. With excitement and a sense of enchantment, midnight will ring in page one of the next chapter of our lives. It doesn't matter if 2017 was bad for some of us. Because Monday isn't just a day, it's brand new chapter in our life. As we eagerly start page one of Chapter 2018, what it has in store for us, is anyone's guess. Just like any other book, the main characters will remain the same, and the theme will be unchanged. However, there is a reason this point is markedly differently than the rest. This chapter will add new depth and experience to each of our overall plots. This chapter may introduce brand new characters and or even some unexpected plot twists. It isn't what we think will happen that makes our stories so exciting. Rather it is the existence of the unknown ahead of us that make life truly worth living. In the end, all we know is that this chapter will assuredly be different than our last. Now, maybe for some of you, you find yourself considering that there is nothing all that special waiting for you in this upcoming section of your life. However, as we begin the weekend and work our way to the years end, we should all remember one thing. One-hundred years from now; they'll only read about 2018 in books... and yet you actually get to live it. Most importantly, countless other people never made it to 2018, while you are still here; still living and breathing, able to enjoy it. Ultimately, the best part is that even if 1/1/18 isn't all that great, it is only page one. We all still have 364 more pages to go. In the end, nothing is stopping this year from being the best chapter for us all. Consider not what the new year will bring for you, rather what will you bring for the year. Again, Shabbat Shalom or Happy Weekend and a vey Happy New Year To everyone!