Happy New Year - Good Bye 2010 Blog

I swear I am running out of steam with all the holidays galore. Whether you celebrated Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or your own special holiday, December is a whirlwind of activity capped off with a final holiday called the New Year—after which brings us a brand spanking new set of 12 months. I don't think I am going to make any New Year's resolutions this year but I typically make continuous goals that I strive for yearlong. These goals are easy, like trying to be a better wife, friend, employee, and overall person. If you want to make changes in your life, you need to start right now with something that is not that hard to change. Here are a few goals that I plan to work on this year:

1. I will try to exercise more regularly.
2. I will try to get more sleep in the coming year because 3-4 hours a night is about to do me in.
3. I will try to drink more water. I think I need to break my McDonald’s Sweet Tea and Starbuck’s Sweetened Green Tea addiction.
4. I will try to recycle more and be mindful of my footprint on this Earth.
5. I hope to do writing/blogging that is more meaningful in 2011.
6. I plan to say, "I love you" or “I appreciate you” every day to those that matter.
7. I want to be a better person. That means I will be more open and more introspective. I will listen more, preach less and lead with smaller steps rather than huge leaps.
8. Lastly, I look forward to the New Year with promise and hope.

I hope when you take time to reflect back on the past 12 months as I have, you will find happy thoughts and pleasant memories. New Year's Day means to me that we all have a fresh start with our goals and resolutions. It means that we have more chances to do the things we have always wanted to do. It means yet another year to spend with our loved ones and our friends. I am wishing you all a safe and wonderful New Year.  Happy New Year!

Santa is Coming!

Hello girls and boys around the world. It is Christmas Eve and Santa is coming. In some places, there is only one more time to fall asleep until Christmas morning. That is right; it is only one more night before the most joyous day of the year is here!

Santa is very lucky because he gets to see many wonderful things as he travels the whole world. He also gets to see many things that make him a little sad too. He sees people that are hungry, people that are hurting, and people that do not have a place to live. I am sure this year that he received many letters and emails from parents and children asking for more help. I am sure the letters and emails also expressed many feelings of thankfulness and hope. What gives Santa his energy and ability to serve the world is the hope and belief from all of us around the world.

Santa is really good at making toys and other Christmas presents, but he needs your help to make the world a better place. He needs all of us working on finding cures for diseases, stopping world hunger, and finding world peace. So, it is your turn to help Santa fulfill the wishes of all the girls and boys around the world.

I want to wish my readers and faithful supporters a Merry Christmas and happy New Year, filled with love, joy and happiness and my God bless you every day.

 

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,

for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away

like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.

The good you do for others is good you do yourself.

(Norman W. Brooks)

May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope,

The spirit of Christmas which is peace;

The heart of Christmas which is love.

(Ada V. Hendricks)

"Old Age" is a Gift

The other day a little boy asked me how I felt about being old. At first, I was taken aback because I do not think of myself as that old. Then I realized that it was an interesting question and I decided to ponder it and write this blog. It is my birthday on Monday and I am entering my 45th year on this planet!

To start with, I would never trade my friends, my life, or my family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I get older, I am finding it easier to be positive. I care less about what other people think. I do not question myself as much because I have earned the right to be wrong occasionally. I try not to reprimand myself for eating an extra cookie, for not making my bed, or for buying yet another pair of shoes that I did not need. I am entitled to treat myself, to be messy, and to be extravagant from time to time. I have seen far too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair sprinkled with gray and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.

Yes, sometimes I am forgetful. Then again, some of life is just as well forgotten, but eventually I do remember most of the important things! Sure, over the years my heart has been broken many times. Nevertheless, broken hearts are what give us strength, understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect. You see, as I have aged, I have tried to become kinder to myself and less critical at the same time. In reality, I have become my own friend.

I have decided that “old age” is a gift and I am now, probably for the first time in my life, on the verge of becoming the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body of course! I sometimes still anguish over my physical appearance - the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and yes, the saggy butt. Many mornings I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my parents), but I do not agonize over it very long.  So, to answer that little boys question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I am becoming. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting on what could have been, or worrying about what will be.

Why do we celebrate Labor Day?

Why do we celebrate Labor Day? The true meaning and significance of Labor Day, much like many other holidays, has been largely forgotten by many Americans. I do not pretend to be very knowledgeable about our Labor history or the origins of Labor Day, but I did look it up on the Internet and learn about it this morning. What I found is that Labor Day is more than just a day off or a long weekend. It is a day that is intended for us to honor and recognize the contributions of all working people, both those with jobs and those who are struggling to find them in this current climate where our unemployment rate hovers in the double digits across the country. At a time when so many people are unemployed, Labor Day also reminds me that having a job is a valuable thing.

Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day was created by the labor movement during the height of the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Back then, the average American laborer worked 12-hour days and seven-day workweeks in order to survive. Does that mean that Labor Day is a relic, and no longer a meaningful holiday? Labor or being a worker in today’s job market has not become easier, it is just different because the majority of our workers are no longer unionized, blue-collar, or manual laborers. This does not mean that they do not work hard, in fact, these days many workers are working longer hours than ever to adapt to the global economy and ever-changing communications technology. Knowledge workers are perpetually tethered to their Smartphone’s and are always virtually at work.

In this decade, we saw taxpayers bailing out Wall Street while some greedy individuals continued to receive million dollar bonuses for their failures; all the while working families struggled to live paycheck to paycheck. We also saw our U.S. tax policy reward companies for shifting millions of jobs overseas in order to take advantage of workers that labored for mere pennies a day. Countless American workers saw wage cuts, loss of basic health care benefits or lost their jobs altogether while numerous corporations posted record profits. These are clear and compelling examples of corporate greed and reasons why we need to take another look at the true meaning of Labor Day. The examples should also make it clear to everyone that we need to celebrate the social and economic achievements of the American worker while also continuing to fight to help restore our country to the “land of opportunity” our parents and grandparents created for us. I have confidence that the working middle class will survive and will continue to provide the foundation for this country’s greatness. In memory of the true heroes who fought for the rights we all enjoy today, it is our duty to stand up now and to honor all of those who will follow us. That, I believe, is the true meaning of Labor Day.