Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year

Another year has come and gone. In some ways it seems 2011 just arrived and in other ways it seemed to drag on and on without end. I must say the old adage is true – the older you get the more quickly time seems to go by. When you’re 10 years old a year is 1/10th of your life. When you’re 54 it’s only 1/54th of your life – not long at all in the scheme of things. All in all, with the passing of each year we look back at the good and the bad things that happened and reflect.

2011 was an interesting year to say the least. That goes for the world in general and for me. We saw an end to the war in Iraq – lots of our soldiers coming home. Whether our accomplishments there will last very long remains to be seen. We’ve seen some success in Afghanistan and are still trying to determine the best course of action for the long term there. Our brave military men and women continue to do their sworn duty to serve the United States whenever and wherever asked. And they deserve our honor and praise.

We saw a devastating tidal wave in Japan that threatened severe nuclear destruction. Fortunately there were Japanese workers who were willing to die in order to save the rest of their country and its citizens. I’m reminded of Spock on Star Trek saying “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Those men who worked tirelessly in that radiation, eventually sacrificing their lives in their efforts to stop a nuclear meltdown, were also warriors worthy of honor and praise.

We’ve seen our own country struggle through a recession that may or may not be over. Our government officials continue to serve their own interests for the most part, worrying more about re-election than serving the people they represent. Our President struggles with the weight of the office he holds every day and whether you agree with his political views or not, he is the President and he’s ultimately responsible for the well being of our nation. I pray for him to have to wisdom to do what’s best for our country and that God will guide him in those efforts. I hope every other believer, regardless of party affiliation, will do the same. Mr. Obama and our nation needs all the prayers they can get.

In my own life I saw some tremendous changes and although a couple were difficult, the year ended up being one of my best. After watching a relationship self-destruct before my eyes I found someone who truly loves me for who I am and not for who she wants me to be. Imagine finding someone from your past who, even though you haven’t seen each other for years, still cares about you and wants to make something work between you. And imagine how great it is to discover the old feelings are just as strong today as they were then – maybe even more so. I went from hurt and disbelief to happiness and disbelief all in the same year. Last night we spent a quiet evening just enjoying being together. I would have to say it was probably the best New Year’s Eve I’ve ever spent. I look forward to 2012 and what it will bring. Life certainly does have a way of surprising you sometimes.

Yesterday on Facebook I posted my New Year’s wish for everyone. It said: “Happy New Year to all of my Facebook friends and family. We may disagree about things at times (OK, some of us all the time) but I wish you all happiness, love and success in the coming year. Every year brings us new opportunities for all three and it's up to us to take full advantage of them. I know I will.” I mean every word of it. I wish you all the best of everything in 2012. Thanks for continuing to read my rantings. I do appreciate it. As much as I enjoy putting my thoughts down in writing I must say I also enjoy the fact that others read them and sometimes even enjoy them. I will try to find interesting topic to discuss in 2012 and keep you reading. Finding things to talk about usually isn’t that difficult.

Happy New Year.

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