JANUARY the 1st is the first day of the New Year and I started to take my decorations down when I notice how much dust had collected on my two cuckoo clocks and my old grandfather clock that stands in the hall. I love to hear the sounds of these beautiful clocks when they all start to chime through out the day. With the help of three chiming clock I am never late for an appointment. As I dusted them one by one I thought of the hands of time that move every day, ticking away the hour and the minutes indeed our whole lives are dominated by the clock. Perhaps at no other time do the hands of the clock become so meaningful than at the New Year when midnight signifies not just another day passing but the close of the year. It can be an emotional time for us all it takes on a new meaning-perhaps shed a tear or two, as we look back, and look forward and start to wonder what a new year has in store for us all. I came across these words by author Minnie Louise Haskins that seem appropriate. "And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year. Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied 'Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way." A Plan For A New Year Garden I found this in a newspaper a plan for a New Year vegetable garden and I thought you would like to read this and find it as interesting as I did and perhaps you would like to cultivate a garden like this: "First plant five rows of peas: Preparedness. Promptness, perseverance, politeness and prayer. "Next to them plant three rows of squash: Squash criticism, squash indifference. "Then put in five rows of lettuce: Let as be faithful; let us be unselfish let us be loyal; let us love one another; let us be truthful. "No garden is complete without turnips and the New Year version should have: Turn up for church; turn up with a smile; turn up with a new idea; turn up with real determination.