Year's end provides an opportunity to reflect on our lives. Imagine Bermuda 2009's 'New Year's Day Walk' through Spittal Pond, offers a tour that could spark a participant's imagination to this end. In this park, we find evidence of the oldest recorded visit to the island at Spanish Rock- in 1543. The 'markings' left in the limestone, by those stranded sailors, resonate with the famous poem by Longfellow:

Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,

And departing, leave behind us,

Footprints in the sands of time.

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,

Seeing, shall take heart again.

On January 1, we will mark the beginning of the observance of a 400th Anniversary of Bermuda, as well as the 400th of the invention of the Telescope by Galileo. While the Sea Venture was being shipwrecked by a violent storm in 1609, Galileo was perfecting an invention that provided the first clear understanding of the Solar System - a paradigm shift.

The footprints left by Somers directly impacted generations in Bermuda; those left by Galileo enabled World civilisations to understand the true nature of the Universe.

In his book What Kind of World do you Want?, Jim Lord reminds us that '..even in the most difficult times, we can choose a narrative that gives us a new and stronger sense of our capabilities. That sense might well include such human characteristics as courage, tenacity, resilience and faith; which can only exist if life holds challenges.

Every one's life holds some challenge and these stories from centuries past offer lessons today.

The challenges offered by ocean storms are easily appreciated by local residents. The threat to life, being so palpable, fosters a greater sense of gratitude for the basics. Those who were wrecked in 1543 and the survivors of the Sea Venture, all would have needed to take heart. That courage would have been vital to carry them through their difficulties.

Once landed, they would have then been faced with the additional challenge of survival; having limited resources. At Spittal Pond there is some evidence of an encampment where survivors might have been able to get some fresh water and other meager supplies.

Being stranded thousands of miles from home, one would have been tempted to give-up, but our history shows that even forlorn and shipwrecked they took the opportunity to choose that narrative that strengthened '… tenacity, resilience and faith.'

It is these same qualities that Galileo required as he perfected the Telescope in 1609 and began drawing conclusions about the nature of the 'stars'. He began pulling together findings from others and combined this with the evidence from his advanced instruments.

It became obvious to him that the dogma of the day, that the Earth was the centre of the celestial system, was wrong. When he published his conclusions, Galileo faced the wrath of the status quo and was persecuted by the Inquisition.

Even when he was imprisoned for life in his early 60's this great man maintained his integrity. His exemplary effort not only created a paradigm shift benefiting human civilization, but reminded us all that we can make our lives sublime.

Spittal Pond Park is also the site of Jeffrey's Cave, which was an enclave from Slavery - a system that existed in Bermuda up to 1834. The story of Jeffrey speaks to the fact that 'in the most difficult times there were those who chose their narrative'.

An early example of the strategy of 'passive resistance', his cave represents an ingenious response to the challenges he faced. Jeffrey quietly demonstrated courage, tenacity… and he left his footprints … so that subsequent generations ..seeing, shall take heart again.

The inhumane system of slavery had existed in civilisations in most parts of the World for over a period that stretched back to before the building of the Pyramids. The trans-Atlantic variety of this system caused great displacement for almost four centuries.

The transformation in consciousness that resulted in having slavery deemed immoral and illegal came in circumstances paralleling the struggles of Galileo. The work and actions of many, including Nat Turner, William Wilberforce, Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, brought this paradigm shift, but not until well into the 1800's.

Marcus Garvey reminded us that History to a People is like Roots to a Tree. Celebrating the 400th Anniversary is vital to current generations only if we are able to drink up the nourishment offered by that past and provide anchorage in the midst of the challenges of today.

The last few months of 2008 have indicated that indeed that we are in for some stormy times on a Global level. However, our personal stories are full of chapters of challenge.

Recent exemplars such as Mandela, Helen Keller and Bermuda's-own Margaret Carter, have demonstrated that difficulties can become spring-boards to personal and societal change.

As we navigate the challenges of these times, leaving our footprints and marks, we are reminded to choose the narrative that strengthens our capabilities and those of up-coming generations.