New Year's Eve Musings

 

I've never been much for celebrating New Year's.  It wasn't a big holiday in my family.  We didn't do any special foods or activities. The one memory I do have from when I was a kid is what a treat it was to be able to stay up and watch Dick Clark count down to the New Year in Times Square.  If I could stay awake.  Sometimes I made it and sometimes I didn't.  Theses days it's just a good reason to have a day off work.  I don't do resolutions because I feel like if I live my life the way I'm supposed to everyday...I don't need them.  That's not to say that I do live my life right every day...but it's what I strive for and no list of "stuff" is going to change the way I go about my business.  That's just me.

 

One thing I do enjoy every year is Dave Berry's year in review.  He is such a smart and funny writer.  I always enjoy reading his articles.  You can read the article here.  It's long...but worth every word.

 

Reading his article did give me a few ideas of things I hope to never hear again, some of these things dominated news and social media to the point that it made me want to scream, some of them just irritated me.  Here are the things that annoyed me in 2013:

 

Miley Cyrus, twerking, Jodi Arias, Duck Dynasty, Obamacare, Obama, Congress...all of them, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, the LA Dodgers, zombies, sequestration, debt ceiling, The City of Glendale City Council, The Goldwater Institute, Quebec hockey fans, new computer systems at work.

 

I guess that's enough for one year right?  I had no idea there were so many until I started typing them.  I'll end on a high note.  Here's what gave me joy in 2013:

 

33 years of marriage to the same man...I really do love that guy; my kids...no explanation needed; crocheting...anything; my cat...I know, it's weird, but true; my big crazy, weird family...I love them all; a beautiful wedding; and last but not least...my new son-in-law Adam...He is a special young man and I could not be happier that he is now a member of our family.  I am looking forward to many years with him :)

 

My heart is full and my life is perfectly what it should be.  Looking forward to lots of the same in 2014.

 

Happy New Year friends!  Hope you find your joy in 2014...Love you all!



O Holy Night

Christmas is five days away....FIVE!  Every year I feel surprised by how fast the holiday sneaks up on me.  You'd think I'd have learned by now...

You know how things just don't seem to go right sometimes?  That's how I feel about this Christmas season. 

Dan started decorating the outside of the house, got the lights up around the roof and promptly got sick. He's been sick for the better part of two weeks.  Needless to say no other decorations made it up.  He is highly disappointed.  Decorating the house for Christmas is the highlight of his year. 

I've had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  I miss buying gifts for the kids. Gift buying is the highlight of MY year.  I love searching for and picking out gifts.  But we are exchanging stockings this year so I only have one person to buy for. ONE!  How do you only buy for one person?  I mean, it's practical and its necessary and I love the simplicity of it.  But I yearn for the days of a pile of presents under the tree.  I need some grand kids people! :) 

One thing that never changes is why we celebrate this holiday in the first place.  I try to always keep that in the forefront of my mind.  Especially when lamenting the absence of gifts under the tree.  

Driving home last night it was cloudy, a little windy and a tad chilly.  And then from the radio came the most beautiful version of O Holy Night.  It was the perfect setting...for the perfect song.  It made my heart swell and it filled me with Good Tidings.  This is what Christmas is all about, Gerri.  It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.  Amazing how God always does that for me.  In the midst of Christmas hub-bub and lamenting, He finds a way to bring me back to what is Real.  The Christmas Story is one of hope and the beginning of the journey toward Easter and eternal salvation.

I am happy for this season of hope and thankful to my Savior who always finds ways to bring me back to Him.

Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas.