Good MORNING!
Well!
THAT was FUN!
Christmas day has passed, and Santa was good to us. Here in Nashville, we were treated to the very rare experience of a White Christmas (Only the 8th on the Official record) . . .
That “Wintery mix” of ice and snow did some pretty cool things, not the least of which caused folks to stay HOME and enjoy each other . . .
At the Owen house, our Christmas eve tradition is to invite Friends and family to our house to enjoy slow cooked ribs and good company. That happened in a slightly different way this year . . . 2 parties . . . One group of folks arrived at 1 and departed as the 2nd group began showing up around 4 . . . couldn’t have been better (and was NOT according to plan).
Christmas morning, the feasting continued with the traditional Egg Strada, sausage rolls, and grapefruit and the ceremonial opening of gifts – one at a time – beginning with the oldest person in the room (me) . . . I would label this Christmas the “electronic toy Christmas” which led to a full day of installing batteries and learning how things work.
While walking the dog, we saw families outdoors TOGETHER playing football in the snow.
The day after Christmas was “Hang Out time” . . . and SLEDDING!
When families gather, there’s something I notice . . . No matter how old we get, we each are still the same person. When I talk to my siblings, many of the pet names and much of the goofy talk from our childhood shows up – uninhibited. I realize that we are each the same people as before even though we each now have our own families and careers . . . and what we have in common (other than genes) is years of accumulated HISTORY together.
Some of that History is magnificent memories – some painful – all of it is remarkable. It is these holiday gathering times when I notice that I can actually “pause the game of life” for a few days and reflect on how I got to where I am today . . . That’s when I can see the clear (rugged) path I have travelled and who was with me along the way . . . and Christmas is a time when I appreciate those people – Family, “adopted Family” and friends.
Harry Truman had some very difficult decisions to make during his Presidency and towards the end of his term as President, he reflected on the whys and hows of all that happened. “He had “tried to increase my knowledge all my life by reading and reading and reading” – especially biography and History, insisting,
“There’s nothing new in human nature . . . the only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.”
(From Presidential Courage – Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989 by Michael Beschloss)
We write our own Histories as we live our lives and make our choices along the way. Harry Truman thought of Historians as being liars and propagandists . . . I can only say that each of us has our own story that only WE know . . . and the people who matter most in our lives are the ones who understand and respect this – and accept us as we are unconditionally without judgement.
I saw a LOT of that this “Holiday season” and feel great about my “prophesy” that 2011 is going to be a challenging year for many people . . . AND a VERY rewarding year for most folks because THIS is the year we will learn volumes about unconditional love and support for each other . . . and we will prevail together.
All boats will rise with this tide.
Thanks for listening!
Coffee cup is empty . . . and I’ve reserved this “tween week” for reflection and mindset work to spool up my mental turbocharger to BLAST into 2011 with drive and commitment to make a difference like never before.
Are you IN?
I Hope so!
I’m just sayin’
Best,
b
PS – This will be the year that Pareto Realty (My new Real Estate Sales firm) will find it’s legs. This new firm focuses on “Life Rhythm” . . . the delicate balance of LIVE, WORK, & PLAY . . . and relationship oriented community building. We are all in this together . . . Let’s get MOVING!