For my Friends....

December 17th 2008

As another year comes to a close I have been reflecting on a lot of things. This year I think for myself and many people has been a particularly trying one. Between economic loss and what seems like more than average struggle and strife 2008 seems to have been less than easy for a lot of us.
When we have so much on our plates and each day brings more challenges than we have resources to handle its easy to contemplate giving up. Worse still we lose sight of the little blessings we all have that we take for granted during stressful periods.
Most of us to some degree have been effected financially by the state of our economy and for the first time we are starting to realize the true value of the "things' we have accumulated. I am sure many people are as surprised as I am at how little all the material stuff means now that priorities are changing.
None of us are any cooler because of what we drive, what we wear or where we live. None of us has built an ounce of character through the acquisition of "things". With people losing "things" left and right we are forced to look at one another as we are not as we were once perceived. Now stripped of our pretenses, life is giving us a chance to look at ourselves and those around us and take an honest appraisal of who we all are and what really matters to us.
I have learned I don't care about acquiring "things" anymore! I want to acquire success and happiness and both of these as I define them now not as I defined them in the past. I have learned that there is nothing more valuable than family and friends. When I say friends I mean real ones. The ones who have seen you at your most vulnerable and at your lowest and love you anyway. The ones who through thick and thin are always there to tell you the truth and then hug you when it hurts. The ones who you love unconditionally and that feeling is 100 % mutual.
With this being a tough holiday season for many of us I think the most important thing we can do is practice gratitude. Be grateful for your friends and family. Be grateful for a year that made us all come to terms with how shallow we have been for so long. Say thank you that we have a whole new year coming up to use these lessons to become better people. We have a new year to start over and find success and happiness that is real. Somehow I think we may all find the world a much better place soon.
I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a new year filled with what really matters....



A New Year’s Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anonymous

Dear Lord, please give me…
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come. Amen.