Merry Christmas everyone! We have had a great Christmas and an amazing year. A complete turn around from last year. We went from me being out of work for 3 months and no one else in the house having a job to Elaine getting a job, Anna getting 2 jobs, and me having more work than I can keep up with. We had help along the way. From God, which translates into our attitude and outlook, to people, who think they are mere mortals but I know they are Angels. God gave us His Son, who I know walked this earth and I know why He was here. And the people.... well, theyre just as amazing to me! To put up with and stand by me, in spite of me, is simply wonderous. I want to say some of their names out loud: Anna - My wife; the coolest chick I know; she could do so much better than me. Shes tough everytime Im not. She is the definition of The one meant just for me and the person I will defend & support with my last breath. My kids - They love me no matter how much I fail, because they know Im trying I guess. They do well balancing the fact that I try to spoil them and the grace, gratitude and manners kids should have. They dont give up, even when I want to. My Mom - She thinks Ill be okay when shes gone; shes wrong. I would be in prison without her daily guidance and encouragement. She knows I have that personality that needs pats on the back; she knows my heart and reminds me that I have one. Mark Prewett - If you ever get to pick your next-door neighbor, pick him! Talk about an Angel sent to watch over you! He has watched me scream and flail and just stayed quite & smiled, maybe adding a simple and later-understood profound word or two. This is what it is to let your light shine. He doesnt preach calm and compassion to me, he just shows me what it looks like and watches me learn it a little at a time. After 8 years of this and no telling how many more to go before I can shine on my own, Im glad he isnt charging by the hour! Tom Williams - He was put in my life at the exact right time. He doesnt even know what he means to my life or how it is that he is the person I never thought Id meet (or that really existed) but he will know someday. I dont know how to thank someone for existing, but I know who to thank for their existence. Mark Cox - This man, this awesomely amazing man-child, and his wonderful wife helped me do something, that even as a child I knew would be the most important thing I would ever do on this earth, but I had no idea how I would do it. I leave no legacy without their help. Shannon Goins - My cousin; an eagle that is strong and true. She never hesitates to give. I have never been so Blessed to get to see someone find their wings and celebrate flight. Her light has shined on many and will now brighten and shine on even more as the Sun guides her travels. She thinks she is going off into the world to change her life, but I know she will be changing the lives of others just by her presence. She is Santa Claus! She is magic and joy! Aunt Karen - The very definition of selfless. Sure, someone may have ever seen her frown or heard her complain, but I havent. I have been humbled to be loved by a person who doesnt have to love me and will drop everything, come to my aid, and crawl to get there if she has to. And I think she does this for everyone in her life. All the time. She will have Stars in her Crown! Steve Peterson - My cousin; cool from the day he was born. I watch him doing it right. Living life fully and happily. He is a connection to my Grandparents that no one else but me can possibly understand in the same way. He has no idea what it does for me to see the pictures he posts of him and my uncle spending time together working on projects or having a laugh. That is a thing that I hope he knows the true value of; a gift not everyone has been given. David Fausett - This man taught me.... well.... everything. I am someone that I can be proud of because of him. He said carpenters like us were a dying breed, but it wasnt until after he was gone that I understood just how much more that involved than simply cutting a board with precision & care. The deep woods also mean more to me now than I ever thought they would. And if I ever forget every thing, every person, and every place, I will always be able to find my way back to that exact spot in those exact woods where I learned to be still and listen. I still learn from him everyday. In an old picture of him water water skiing, I dont just see the cool cat everybody loved wearing shades & cutting waves. I can see, in that one picture, how much he loved his family, how much he loved his craft and his friends. Maybe its just the memories I have of the guy that treated me like family filtering all those pictures to show the light that always emenated from his face. But in one picture I can see how to be a father, how to use a chainsaw, how to gut a deer, how to be passionate about anything, and even how to be angry and what to be or not be angry about! How my path was fortunate enough to connect with his Ill never know. Brad Fausett - This guy knows and is friends with more people than there even are! People way cooler and less whiny than me. And yet, he lets me be his Brother. Every day. When I have nothing to give. His patience with me is more than I show anyone. He probably thinks I just go along with all this brother stuff and he may have no clue just how important he is to my life; just how much I needed and will always need a brother like him - with a connection to those same woods. We were pretty down in a lot of ways last year. But as you can see, we were also WAY Blessed beyond belief. Weve had a pretty great year this year which involves, and is due in part to, those same Angles and with the addition of the Blessings of more work. With steady work comes the ability to pay bills on time and the obtaining of more stuff. How do you say thank you to the Angels for these additions? They dont want some of our stuff. Beyond that, all I have is words. Heartfelt words. Thank you to God and all His Angels (that means YOU if youre reading this). All our family members everywhere, all my friends that I dont see enough of - I love you guys. If I am not paying the Grace forward enough then let me be receptive to those opportunities. My wish for everyone on the planet is that they can let go of hate and differences, let go of any blame for things they dont have or the things in their lives that arent just exactly how they think they should be, and open their eyes to the gifts that are all around them. Because they ARE there. You just have to be willing to see them for what they are. Merry Christmas.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 20:52:06 +0000
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