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Finding The Good In 2008

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 31, 2008

To say 2008 was a bad year is more than a blatant understatement, it's a downright lie.

When you look at the big picture, the year that is almost up might go down in history as one of the worst for the United States - if not the entire world.

On the international front, war waged on, famines continued and terrorist attacks became commonplace. Nationally, the American economy faced a meltdown of epic proportions and efforts to staunch the bleeding seem to be doing little good. Locally, Pasco County struggled with ever-growing needs and a shrinking budget.

If you're like me, you're looking at 2008 as the year that should never have been. Alas, it was.

Now, don't get me wrong. Good things did happen in 2008. The thing is you have to look at the "little picture" to find them.

In Pasco County, fortunately, the list of good things is almost endless. As bad as the "big" news of the year happened to be, the little stories of hope, achievement, success and triumph never stopped.

For example, Pasco residents banded together to fight back against the economy by reaching out to those in need through organizations like Christian Social Services and Toys For Tots. School children in Land O' Lakes pulled out the stops to help a dog with cancer get a second chance at life. Students from Pine View Elementary School discovered that spending time with America's veterans was well spent. Boy Scouts continued to earn their Eagle ranks, our churches opened their doors even wider to help people in their time of need and new businesses even joined the community (believe it or not).

The list of "good things" is almost endless if you know where to look. While wars might wage on and the economy might continue to sputter, all around us are examples of humanity at its finest.

In just a few short hours, we will be presented with a fresh new year to mold and make our own. Although it promises us challenges, it also is full of hope for something better.

If we focus on the "little things" that matter, 2009 might just turn out to be a banner year. After all, good things do come in small packages. If those packages pile up over the year, the positive can offset the negative.

Sherri Lonon is the editor of In The Loop.

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