In ancient times the first of January was dedicated by the Romans to their god of gates and doors, Janus, a very old Italian god with a distinctive artistic appearance, commonly depicted with two

faces, one regarding what is behind, and the other looking towards what lies ahead. Thus, to the Romans, Janus represented their concerns on the happenings of the old year while, at the very same time, looking forward to the new.

      Most of us relish the concept of having an opportunity to start again, to do things differently, and to live a happier, healthier life style, as we resolve to be more prosperous and productive in the coming year. And for many of us a quest to live a more thoughtful, more considerate life is a good place to begin.

      In the South a traditional meal of humility is prepared and served on the first day of the New Year. This custom of serving a humble meal of black-eyed peas, greens, and corn bread is a tradition deeply steeped in Southern history; when, in Vicksburg, Virginia, during the civil war, enemy soldiers burned, to the ground, the townspeople's entire crop of vegetation with the exception of what they considered to be worthless weeds. And the town’s people, while under siege for more than forty days, began to starve as their meager food rations began to run out. However, among this unburned weed grew what was then referred to as cowpeas, a crop that, in those days, was used solely as feed for the cattle.

     With no supplies coming into the town, citizens suffered sever deprivation, as the whole town was on the brink of starvation, in desperation they humbly began to eat the un-chard cowpeas, while, at the same time, feeling extremely fortunate to have the cowpeas to sustain their lives.

     Who would have imagined that some humble little, unassuming pea, in fact, actually changed the course of history. Today we’ve come to know this, unadorned, common food as, “black-eyed peas." Therein emerged the custom of serving humble dishes such as, black-eyed peas, greens and cornbread on New Years Day, in the belief that this would bring good luck and financial success in the coming year. And on this New Years Day, as well, many Southerners will feast on at least some of these humble, little foods.

     Black-eyed peas supposedly represents coins, greens are believed to represent currency and, who would pass up an opportunity to bake a skillet of corn bread. After all, according to tradition, it represents gold.

     In so many ways, the New Year can be a catalyst for motivation and change. We can become motivated to look back over our lives, weigh our missed opportunities, evaluate what we could have done differently, and make an effort to capitalize on new opportunities to begin again. We can choose to think “outside of the box" and resolve to follow through on our good intentions. We can resolve to make a difference by taking advantage of second chances. We can dare to make ultimate sacrifices for our communities and ourselves, So as we, again, stand at the threshold of a brand new year, may we find strength, peace, happiness, and success in our endeavors to make this the best year ever. “Happy New Year!"

Janet Arango

North Carolina