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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/19072/full/19072/how-can-we-make-2003-a-happier-year/ <br /><br /> <b>How can we make 2003 a happier year?</b> <br /> Friday, January 3, 2003 | by <br /><br /><p>The weather we've been experiencing here only adds to the gloom of the new year. Unfortunately, it will take a lot more than sunshine to improve the horizon for 2003.<br /><br /> War in Iraq seems inevitable. At the same time, our nation's leaders have to deal with the threat of terrorism on our shores and the expected nuclear buildup in North Korea.<br /><br /> Israelis worry that Iraq will once again shower them with Scud missiles or even wage a biological war. As a result, they are trying on gas masks and gearing up for possible smallpox vaccines.<br /><br /> As unsettling as that may be, Israelis must prepare to go to the polls in a few weeks to select a prime minister and a new Knesset. However, no matter who wins, chances are that Palestinian violence won't end anytime soon.<br /><br /> Some observers worry that Hezbollah in Lebanon will use the shadow of the Iraq war to engage Israel in the north.<br /><br /> Meanwhile at home, our economic morass continues. Corporate failures are on the rise along with unemployment. And the stock market is up one day and down the next.<br /><br /> Sounds pretty bleak.<br /><br /> But sinking into despair neither improves the world nor our own psyches, as our people have learned over several millennia.<br /><br /> There is hope in the world and it's in the faces of our children and our grandchildren.<br /><br /> We need to look at life through their eyes and enjoy the day-to-day wonders that they experience.<br /><br /> We need to spend more time with our mishpachah and less time watching TV news. That means more dinners together as a family. More outings on the weekend. More time celebrating Shabbat and the Jewish holidays.<br /><br /> If we want to find hope in this new year, we need to do it in our own homes, in our synagogues and with friends and family.<br /><br /> We need to focus less on politics and the economy, and more on relationships, especially with those closest to us. We need to share our love and nourish our friendships.<br /><br /> We wish you all a happy 2003, with the hope that you will search and find some happiness in the year ahead.</p> <p> </p>

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