Now that the Christmas celebrations are mostly over, Christmas is celebrated throughout the year in many ways for me. In weekly Masses, daily prayer, and in the little things in life, we often take for granted. It also means that another year is about to slip into the history books.
History is only correct for those that have lived it. Too many times, historians modify history to fit their narrative or to show their government in good light. One of God’s gifts to humankind is the gift of remembering good memories and not remembering as well the bad memories.
Think of a time when you broke a bone, had a bad toothache, fell, and skinned a knee. Those memories seem dimmed in our overall perspective of our lives. The truly good memories live on in us, and we can relish in them. At times, we can remember how they positively affected our senses. Every day gives us another chance to make impactful memories. Hopefully good ones!
The New Year is coming up fast; I must be honest, I have gone to sleep sometime around 10 p.m. on the last couple of New Year’s Eve. Interesting, it was a new year when I woke up the next day! People celebrate New Year’s Eve in many ways. Many go out and attend a party at a restaurant, hotel, or with friends or family. I usually spend a quiet evening at home.
Many times in my past, I went out to celebrate at different venues, and it was fun. My Mom and Dad would host a New Year’s Eve party for many years. They went all out, Shrimp, crab, corned beef, and many desserts. When it was age-appropriate, even a little bubbly to toast in the New Year! I have many fond memories of family and friends that would attend. We did go to friends’ homes and share stories of the past year and hopes for the New Year.
Like many people, I have made resolutions every year, often the same ones. Work, life, and many issues would come up, and my resolutions would regress into the back of my mind until next year.
The essential thing is not to focus on what you wish you would do or that you have not done. The important thing is to enjoy the gift of living every day. Goals are awesome; we need to have goals to strive for daily. Achieving them are wonderful, but the reward is in the everyday journey of life.
I reflect back in time to one of the hundreds of flights I took in my career in sales, training, and management. I remember looking around, and in the seats near me were some younger people and older people traveling for their careers. I noticed the titles of books; this is before tablets.
Younger people were reading self-development books on; Time Management, In Search of Excellence, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Older people were reading books on Stress Reduction, Retirement, Meditation.
My New Year’s resolution this year is to work on enjoying my life, reading some books, and trying to be a better me! Happy New Year! Everyone!
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – Joel, author of the book: “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer!” joelmvernier@aol.com © Joel M. Vernier December 26, 2021
