I think this is the greatest and truest description I've ever heard for a Friend

DEFINITION OF FRIEND

I think this is the greatest and truest description I've ever heard for a Friend     Friends ... They love you, But they're not your lover They care for you, But they're not from your family They're ready to share your pain, But they're not your blood relation. They are ... FRIENDS! !!!! A True friend... Scolds like a DAD.... Cares like a MOM... Teases like a SISTER... Irritates like a BROTHER... And finally loves you more than a LOVER. Send to all your good friends Even me if I'm one of them...     The nicest place to be is in someone'sTHOUGHTS! The safest place to be is in someone's PRAYERS! And the best place to be is in GODS HANDS Wonderful antidote to all the horrible stuff on the news                               IN GOD WE TRUST And We Still Trust in God

Goodbye 2013, Welcone 2014

Happy New Year Dear Family & Friends,
     Happily I can say that 2013 has been a good year for Joan and I. My idea of a good day, a good week, a good month, or a good year is that when I total up the ups and the downs at the end of any of those times is that the ups outnumber the downs. Thank you God for 2013 our ups far outnumbered our downs.
     I am going back to New Year's Eve 2012 to start 2013. Carter & Griffin spent the day and night with us, we had a good evening and actually stayed awake to see the ball come down.
     New Years morning they came and jumped in bed with us laughing and having fun. My thought was what a great start to the New Year.
     As with anyone you cannot get through a complete year with out a few downs and we had a few of them.   On January 15 we got the news that Joan's Mother-in-Law Dot passed away after a long illness.I was honored when her Daughter Joyce asked me to do an Eulogy for her which I did at her funeral and burial on January 19.
     On April 17 another phone call that a friend and high school classmate, Anne Young passed away, also after a long illness.
     June 6 more sad news, Joan's brother Russ and his wife Joan's daughter passed away. A lot of out of town family came for the Memorial Service.
     Art Kline our next door neighbor passed away at the age of 97, Really miss him, I could spend hours chatting with him.
     My Dear Friend Butch had a sister pass away also. Another friend Sonny Duncan, and I have probably missed a couple.
     On May 29 a family friend Gordon Davis was involved in a very serious automobile accident. He has had a tough recovery, came home for awhile but is now back in the hospital.
     Right now we have some family and friends with health problems, some very severe. Joan and I will both be 74 years old this year so sadly will probably hear some more sad news as we have a lot of friends as old or older than us.
     But so many wonderful things happened in 2013. A Dear Friend Sandy Valenti was able to return to work after a long battle with cancer.
     Lucky for Joan and I we get to spend a lot of time with Carter & Griffin and Nana and Papa are in our glory when we are with them.
     Almost every holiday we get to celebrate twice, because it is so hard for my Daughter Martha to travel over to us we do our holidays with family here and the go over to Sebring and celebrate with her and her family within a day or two.
     Can't write about all our good times but will highlite a few. Went up to Maryland in October for my high school reunion. Class Of 1958, Howard High School., wow been out of high school for 55 years.
     I tried retirement a couple of times and didn't like it so worked part time job for many years. Now I really am enjoying retirement. Joan didn't like being retired, she is A Stevens Minister at our Church, voluneers at the Maltz Theatre, but seems not enough for her so she signed up with a temp agency and works for them when they need her and still wants to do more, such energy. LOL
      As I hardly watch any TV I spend a lot of time on the computer, I joke with people all the time telling them I have learned more since I discovered Google that I learned in 12 years of school. It wasn't the schools fault. LOL
     My Dear Brother-in-Law Frank Strawderman passed away a few years ago, his motto which I have adopted is he said he was going to live until he died and he did just that. Going to saty active as long as I can, not going to sit around waiting to die.When I met Joan she told me she wanted to wear out, she never wanted to rust out, she does't give rust time to settle on her. LOL
      So much more I could write about but will close by WISHING ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR OF LOTS OF FUN, LOTS OF LOVE, AND MOST OF ALL GOOD HEALTH.
      P/S Hope to have my book ready to publish soon.

Thanksgiving Is A Great Day For Reflecting On All The Things We Should Be Thankful For.

 

 

 

     In today's world people just seem to be busier than I can ever remember. Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite Holidays. I hope this Thanksgiving we can all slow down long enough to be thankful for all God's blessings. Blessings come in many forms, I would like to share a few with you.

     Family is what Thanksgiving is all about. Be thankful for all members of your family. Family doesn't have to be perfect in order to be thankful for them.

     I have so many things to be thankful for. I am so thankful that God has seen fit for me to to be able to be married to two Angels.

     Where or who would we be without family? They are our foundations, our roots, they love us at our best and even more important at out worst.

     Thank God for Martha, Jimmy, and Jessica. Thank God for Barbara, Brett, Carter, Griffin, and Christopher, and all the great times and memories we have had. Thank God for the short time Janet was a part of my life.

     Thanksgiving is also a time to give thanks for our frineds. Friends are the family we get to choose for ourselves. Just like our families they love us eve with our imperfections. They see the best in us when we don't. They show up whenwe need them even though they don't have to. They celebrate our accomplishments with us. They make us laugh when we are sad. They some times even make us cry, but most of the time they are tears of joy. Thy're just there, and most of the time that's all we need them to do.

     I tell people all the time althoigh I am an only child I have more brothers and sisters than any one I know.

     I can't imagine a world without Grandchildren, They are a constant reminder of what is most beautiful about the world. There have been times when I was having a bad day, but a smile, a laugh, a hug, or a I Love You Papa makes me forget what ever may have been bothering me. Grandchildren see the world without distorted lenses, they are so innocent.

     Spend time with children seven or younger and people seventy or older. You can learn a lot from both age groups.

     Good health is one of those things we take for granted until we don't have it any more. If you have the ability to walk, talk, sing, and laugh, just remember the people who would like to be able to do those things and can't.

     Tomorrow is never guaranteed to us, so if we get to it we should be happy about it. Think of all the people young and old that didn't make it to this day. Those of us that have made it to this day should think how lucky we are and treat it as such.

     As I have reached the ripeold age of 73 and have been doing a review of my life I realize how lucky I have been. Of course there were many times when I didn't think that way, but this is one time where hindsight is a good thing.

     Reflect upon your present blessings of which we all have many, not on your past

misfortunes of which we all have had some.

     Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them is the true measure of our Thanksgiving.

     What we do for ourselves dies with us, what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.

     If we meet someone who owes us thanks, we right away remember that. But how often do we meet someone to whom we thanks without remembering that?

     We can always find something to be Thankdful for, no matter what may be the burden of our wants.

     Wow, I just keep thinking of reasons I should be thankful but I will end it with this thought.

     Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the special and wonderful people who have entered our lives and make each day more beautiful and meaningful. I hope you have many reasons to be thankful not just on Thanksgiving but every day.

     My Thanksgiving prayer for you " The God Of Love And Peace Be With You 

     Corinthians 13:11

     God Bless You On Thanksgiving And Always., 

 

 

    

Growing Older Is Inevitable, Growing Up Is Optional.

 

 

     Joan and I just returned from a two week trip to Maryland and New Jersey with a few other stops in between.

     Our first stop was in Maryland. I graduated from Howard High School in 1958. We had our class reunion which was celebrating our 55th Anniversary.

     Every classmate that was there are in their seventies. Saw a few walking sticks, including mine, and a few walkers. All night long the room was so alive with every one having fun and laughter.

     So it really is true, growing old is inevitable, but growing up is optional. Never heard one person complaining about any health problems they may have.

     I belong to A Moose Lodge. Over the years I have always noticed people in their forties and fifties sitting around the bar complaining about different things and the people in their sixties and seventies up on the floor dancing.

     I lived in Ellicott City, Maryland for twenty years, including my teenage years. We spent a lot of time in and around Ellicott City on our visit and I am sure I relived the entire twenty years in a few days. LOL

     Any time I get upset about something I can no longer do, one of the things I do is get out old pictures, they jolt me back to stop regretting and be thankful for all the things I have done over my lifetime.

 

 

 

Horse back riding in the ocean.

 

 

Age 71 water sliding down a three story water slide with our Grandson Carter.

 

 

Hanging out on the corner in Ellicott City waiting on the school bus. That's me in the middle, hands in pocket with the leather jacket.

 

 

                                 Hugs from a three year old Grandson

 

 

                              And an eight year old one also.

 

    

                          White water rafting in Alaska

 

                                                 

                                       Married To An Angel For Thirty 39

                                  Years, Passed Away In 1998

   

 God Blessed Me and Led Me To

Another Angel For A Wife 

 



                                        
                                          Still being able to have fun with the boys.

My Dearly Departed Brother-in-Law Frank Strawderman Had A Motto He Went By And I Have Adopted It.
      " I'm Going To Live Until I Die "
Not going to sit around and wait for it to happen.

So every day try not to complain about what you can't do and what you have, be thankful for what you have been able to do, and for what you do have.