Monday, December 26, 2011

Ring out the old, ring in the new, Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

People are funny creatures. We can be greedy and impatient one day and kind and considerate the next. And always we are unendingly complicated.


Take being thankful for example. We have Thanksgiving, a day set aside to show our gratitude and we also have New Years Eve to show our thanks for the past year.



That's good that we have those special times to express our thanks, but what about tomorrow or the next day or even the next few minutes are we thankful then too?



Let me share a few ways I'm thankful and I hope you are thankful for some of the same reasons.



I'm for sure not a preacher but I like to think I am a Christian, all be it one with a lot of warts. And I have not always been a true believer. I was one that was always questing God and asking him WHY certain things happen. But after Bubba passed away and we lost Janet in that terrible automobile accident I realized I was never going to find out the WHY's, at least in this life. I finally realized that I had to believe the fact that there is a better place that the people we love and care so much for go to after they leave this earth. It was not an easy thing for me to do but since I have come to believe that I am much more at peace with myself. After coming to that conclusion I have been able to move on a lot better with my life.



Like every one else I have hard times and good times and great times and horrible times. But the last few years as I look back at my life I realize just how much the good times have far, far, out numbered the bad times. When I lost Bubba and was floundering around I was led to Joan, one Angel had been replaced by another Angel. After Martha had her terrible stroke and it is hard for us to communicate at times first Carter and now Griffin entered my life and those two little guys have been more of a blessing than I could ever imagine. So I realize that every prayer I say is not answered but I have had so many great things happen that I didn't pray for it is my saving grace.



If you are having trouble finding your blessings ask your self a few of these questions.

Do you have people that love you?

Are you part of a family?

Do you as I do have beautiful grand children that adore you, make you feel younger, keep you laughing and just make your day when they say I Love You Papa?

Are you part of a family that loves you?

Do you have friends that you can be with, tell the same old stories from the past and laugh at them as if you have heard them for the first time?



If you can answer yes to a few of these questions I hope they will make you realize that you are blessed. If we hang on to the tragedies of the past or fret too much about things that may or not happen in the future then you will forget the joys of today.



One regret I do have is that it took me so long to realize how many blessings I have had. I did hold on to things from the past too long, and until I learned the Serenity Prayer I for sure worried about too many things I cannot change.



I am also thankful for all of you that are reading this BLOG. If you are reading this it means you are a family member, a friend, an E-Mail friend, people that I love and enjoy so much.



Joan and I want to wish each and every one of you a:



Very Happy And Healthy 2012.



Will close this out with this poem I came across and thought it was very good.



Remember the laughter,

the joy,

the hard work,

and the tears.



And as you reflect on the past year,

also think of the new one to come.



Because most importantly,

this is a time of new beginnings

and the celebration of life."



We will open the book.

Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity

and

its first chapter is New Year's Day.





Fill your life with Happiness & Bright Cheer,

Bring to you Joy and Prosperity for the whole Year,

And it's my New Year wish for you..

Wishing you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.





2012 is at the door

Remember

Life is short, break the rules,

Forgive quickly,

love truly,

laugh uncontrollably,

and

never regret anything that made you smile.





Like birds, let us,

leave behind what we don'tneed to carry,

GRUDGES SADNESS PAIN FEAR and REGRETS.

Life is beautiful, Enjoy it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012





Before the sun sets in this year,

before the memories fade,

before the net works get jammed

Wish you and your family Happy Sparkling New Year 2012





My wishes for you in year 2012

Great start for Jan,

Love for Feb,

Peace for march,

No worries for April

Fun for May,

Joy for June to Nov,

Happiness for Dec,

Have a lucky and wonderful 2012.





God bless you and keep you safe not only today but throughout life that is coming in your way. May year to follow be among the best you have ever spent.

New Years Wishes From Joan and Joe




Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Beautiful memories from Christmas's past

One time many years ago after Joan and I had been together awhile she said to me one day, Joe I have noticed that you live a lot in the past. My reply was that I didn't think I live in the past but yes I do a lot of reminiscing.




And you know what I still do. When you make it to the ripe old age of seventy one you sure have a lot of memories. Like every one else my life has had a lot of ups and downs, but lucky for me when I look back the ups have far out numbered the downs. So when I look back when I start thinking of some of the downs I have trained my mind to immediately to switch to the good times and the good things in my past.



I reminisce all year round but come November and December, Thanksgiving and Christmas I really do think back about the good things.



As a kid growing up in West Virginia we didn't have a lot of fancy things. We didn't own our first car until I was six or seven years old. I never felt like we were poor because when I think of people that are poor I think of those that don't have enough to eat, can't pay there bills, etc. That was not the case with me. My Uncle had an orchard, always had a garden, raised hogs and chickens and my Aunt was always canning foods. Lucky for us they shared a lot with us.



My Dad always said there was nothing wrong with wearing patches on my pants as long as they were clean. When I buy a pair of sneakers now days and see how much they cost I think about how I had three pairs of shoes, regular shoes, a pair of dress shoes, and a pair of sneakers, and the only time I got new ones was when I out grew the old ones.



I would get about three things for Christmas as far as fun things go and to this day I can remember my first train set, my first bicycle. By not getting overwhelmed with gifts you could remember what you did get. To this day I still believe the more things children get the less they appreciate them.



So yes, I do think back about the first Christmas in the first home I bought, the first Christmas after Martha was born and then later on as she got older seeing her come down the stairs all excited when she seen the nice things waiting for her.



Thanksgiving and Christmas was also the time to spend it with Family and Friends. Just so many wonderful memories. One year Bubba and I flew up to Maryland on Christmas Day unannounced, I still remember the fun we had when we knocked on the doors of family and friends and the look on their faces, again great memories.



I am one of the luckiest guys ever in the fact that I had an Angel for my first wife my dearly departed Bubba, and after she passed away being lucky enough to have another one, my wife Joan, another Angel.



Bubba then and Joan now both love this special time of the year and go all out to make sure our family and friends know it , the extra special effort they put into it to makes every thing so nice.



Last year Joan spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day in the hospital. She did not let it keep her from enjoying the special time of year. She said how can I feel sorry for myself when Christmas Eve 2002 my beautiful daughter Janet was killed in that tragic automobile accident. Janet loved Christmas so much also. Joan always seems to be able to put life in it's proper prospective.



So I will keep on reminiscing and hope I am around a lot longer so I can have many more special moments to reminisce about.



Actually a few years ago I had gotten a little cynical about Christmas, I would see children that didn't need any thing get every thing, and children that needed just about every thing get nothing and it would bother me. But since Carter came along and now Griffin I see the world through the eyes of two innocent little guys that don't know about all the problems around us and only see the fun and excitement of it all.



It also helps me when I stop and think about the REAL REASON FOR THE SEASON. Dear Family and Friends have a Wonderful Christmas and lets all pray that 2012 will be a happy and healthy year for us all.



The pictures are from one of the Christmas's at my log home and the years spent there are also happy memories for me. The last two pictures are from the family room upstairs and the rest from the great room down stairs.

Different views of The Log Home decorated for Christmas