New Year’s Resoloutions

Recently, a friend of mine passed away.  He was only 55 years old and in a span of one week he entered the first of two hospitals and died in the second one.  It’s funny how sometimes you don’t really know how much a person meant to you until they are gone.  This man, Ray, was more my husband’s friend, I considered, but his death has impacted me too.

I find myself remembering things or seeing things that remind me of Ray.  The other day my husband and I commented on how we were going to invite him and his wife back to Tarpon Springs, FL for a fun day at an arcade museum we just heard about there.  I was looking forward to watching Ray’s face light up as he played video games alongside my husband.  Sadly, that will never be but it’s a valuable lesson to all of us to not hold back, not wait for a better time to do things.  Act now while you can.  Love those around you, share your love with family and friends, do little acts of love and support and let nothing hold you back for you never know what tomorrow may bring.

So with the coming of the New Year, 2015, forget the dieting, forget the ‘life altering’ plastic surgery and other non-essential trivia.  Let’s remember what’s really important:  family and friends and being of service to others while we are still here.  Let’s resolve to spend every minute we can with those who are most important to us, to laugh, cheerily and heartily, with every opportunity we get, to cherish every moment as a gift, a treasure we may never be able to reclaim and to love openly, sharing our generous heart with those who love us back.

Let’s not let anything keep us from living, loving, sharing, and enjoying life.  It is what we make of it so let’s make every day special and joyful in some way.

Cheers to you and be safe during this coming New Year.

Wishing you the merriest of holidays!

A time to celebrate, to be with family and friends, to remember how loved we are- –

Whichever holiday(s) you celebrate and wherever you may be in the world doing so, I wish you the happiest of holidays!  May your holidays bring you much joy, love to warm your heart and money in your bank account (always a good thing)!

Until we meet again, take care, be safe and have fun!!!

The list or what I do each year around the holidays

All right, I admit it, I love Christmas but, unfortunately, the month of December always goes too fast and then we’re into another new year.  The years keep slipping away, somehow, but around this time, there are certain things I like doing, you could even call them made-up traditions which keep the “spirit of Christmas” alive and well in my family.  So, here’s a list of all the things I like doing around this time of year:

1. Watching Holiday Movies (who doesn’t like doing this?  I even watch movies I’ve seen before and there are so many holiday movies to choose from, which is great!)

2. Buying gifts for children off the “Angel tree”  (I’ve even got my husband doing this now!)

3.  Driving around town to see “Christmas” lights (we hit all the old favorites first and then search out new ones)

4.  Holiday shopping with everyone else (yes, I am crazy that way. While most try to avoid the crowds, I love shopping for gifts in a crowd of people.  It stirs up a feeling of camaraderie somehow)

5.  Online pre-black Friday shopping (better to do this than to camp out at a store all night)

6.  Going to Christmas parties, including having the office party (Yeah- lace the punch with Rum!!)

7.  Wearing my holiday jewelry (yes!!  Only time of year I can wear it all!!)

8.  Baking Christmas cookies (this is a new one for me but I plan on making it permanent)

These are only a few and I plan to add more and more “traditions” as the years go by.

What are your traditions?