Tom Thibodeau, chairman of the religious studies/philosophy department at Viterbo University, and Tom Roberts, psychotherapist and owner of Innerchange Counseling in Onalaska, like to talk about the spirit in any form.

They believe it's the spirit that can make us healthier and happier. So Thibodeau and Roberts have some thoughts about how we can help our spirit in the new year.

Practice hospitality and gratitude and slow down to reflect, Thibodeau suggests. He offers four things to try in 2009 to enhance our spirituality:

For a week, concentrate on making eye contact with everyone you meet.

Savor each moment spent at the kitchen or dining table. That's where life is lived.

Be grateful for the obstacles and challenges you faced in 2008. If you lost money in your pension, thank God you had it to lose.

Celebrate what is good in the world.

Offer hospitality to friends, family and strangers in the new year, Thibodeau said. "Strangers bring newness to our lives," he said.

He said the beauty of Rotary Lights in Riverside Park is that it offers hospitality and sends a message that everyone is welcome.

"Hospitality is the defense against hostility," Thibodeau said. "We can't be hospitable unless we are generous."

But he said we can't be generous unless we have gratitude. "We need to look at everything as a gift," Thibodeau said.

Roberts said we can renew our spirit in the new year by paying attention to what is important now that we're in a recession.

"We have become a society that has placed a high value on defining our worth based on what we have," Roberts said. "Listen to financial advisers talk about protecting your net worth. What are they referring to? The money and other assets you have. It that really your net worth?"

Roberts urges people to be consistent about what they truly value in 2009 and re-establish a connection with basic goodness, care and compassion.

"If we truly value love, compassion, helping each other out, community, respect, then these must be applied across the board, not just when it is convenient," Roberts said.

He said Jesus taught how coveting causes pain and suffering, The Buddha taught that greed and craving are the cause of all suffering, and German theologian, philosopher and mystic Meister Eckhart taught that to let go of greed is the path to personal and spiritual happiness.

" Is there a theme here we are routinely ignoring?" Roberts said. "As the New Year approaches, it routinely calls upon us all to reflect on where we have been and where we what to go.

"So rather than making superficial resolutions, dig deeper to awaken who you are as a person," he said. "Discover what your real net worth means and how you can share it with the world. How compassion, caring and giving can become an expression of who you are and not just attached as a marketing tool to a holiday."

Lastly, Roberts suggest changing one letter - an M to a W - and you change your outlook from "me" to "we."

"Real change occurs in small but meaningful steps," he said.