Happy New Year

The year 2010 is behind us, with 2011 stretched out before us, its actions and decisions as yet unwritten and memories not yet made. What will 2011 bring for me and for us? I have no clue, I’m not psychic. However, I do know this: someone I know will have a baby in 2011 and someone I know will die in 2011; someone I know will overcome a major issue in their life in 2011 and someone I know will have a major issue in their life in 2011; I will hurt someone I know in some way in 2011 and someone I know will hurt me in some way in 2011. You don’t need to be clairvoyant to know stuff like that will happen in any given year.

My 2010, like most of yours, had its ups and downs. However, as I look back over the year I feel the good far outweighs the bad. Sure, there were challenges, but I can honestly say that those challenges helped me to grow in some way. One area that I think I really grew in this year was in being more grateful and thankful. For everything and everybody in my life. So as 2010 ends and 2011 begins, I just want to say, “Thank you.”

To my wife, my daughter and my son, thank you for loving me just as I am and for encouraging me to write and to start this blog, which has brought back many good memories of growing up. A special thanks to my son, who created the picture and logo for the blog.

To my family, thanks for your support and encouragement regarding “8 of Nine”. I hope that some of the things I wrote about brought back pleasant memories for you, too.

To my friends, thank you for reading at least one of my postings and even becoming an actual follower. That is truly encouraging to me.

I’m not big on making New Year’s resolutions, even joking when I was younger that my resolution was to not make any New Year’s resolutions. If nothing else, I kept my resolution longer than two days. But how about this: we all just try to get along better with less arguing and fighting, we listen better so we can understand each other more and we treat others as we’d like to be treated. As Elvis Costello used to sing, “What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?”

So, Happy New Year! Let’s make 2011 a great year. Thanks.