Hey there, good morning! How was your Christmas? Ready for New Years? It's going to happen whether we are ready or not isn't it!
Holidays were great, Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. Brandy had the idea of an "Acts of Service Scavenger Hunt"; totally uncomfortable, totally awesome idea. I was not wild about it initially but it grew on me for sure. Everyone was involved, kids, adults, older adults and strangers. The concept is a list of good-Samaritan's acts to be acted upon in order to benefit someone not expecting it. Every thing from handing out Christmas cards to feeding the homeless or vacuuming someones carpet.
The initial fear of talking to strangers is wild. I have been meeting people for my Amway business for a long time but I still get the heebie jeebies interrupting someones life or momentum or thoughts. We met some amazing people who were entirely grateful and even offered us money in return (we didn't take it) and some other people who were totally taken off guard and made totally uncomfortable by the idea of someone doing something nice for them. It was a truly revealing experience in a lot of ways.
I got to see how scared even children are to talk to a strangers, I got to see how many strangers are afraid to be talked to! Almost everyone assumed that there was an angle or something required of them. Spoke a lot to the condition of the world and people's hearts.
I think it is a great exercise and a great family experience, I hope we do it many times again.
At the completion of the scavenger hunt we went home for opening gifts, dinner, a warm fire and the enjoyment of each others company. It was a great evening.
Christmas morning was just Brandy, Ryley & I, Ryley was given a miniature kitchen toy with all the pots, pan, toaster, phone & other accessories. She immediately went to Ryley land with it. I was amazed that she immediately knew what it was and what to do with it. She began to cook Brandy & I imaginary food and feed her baby dolls. This went on for an hour plus. We sat and drank coffee, watched her play and exchanged gifts. Brandy arranged a weekend at a winery for the two of us for a weekend in February, it will be a great trip and a great time. I attempted to buy shoes and a jacket for Brandy, I am a total novice at this and it showed! She appreciated the gifts and the gesture but I had picked the wrong size jacket and wrong size/style shoes, it will all be made right of course but women's clothing is obviously not my area of expertise, no fear of Marshal being a crossdresser!
That afternoon we went to my father-in-law's for dinner, 28 people there, all family! Talk about loud! Good fun though, a bit over whelming for me but Joe & Cindy pulled it off like champs, everyone was fed, full & happy. Good times had by all.
Roanoke was next on the list, we left out of Hampton Roads right in the middle of the biggest snow storm I can recall in the 13 years I have lived here. Made for a very interesting trip out of town, glad we pulled it off though, right before we got clear of the bad roads and bad weather I got a tad over confident and kicked the truck into a back and forth sideways skid that scared the pee jabbers out of both of us. Made for a good laugh when we pulled out of it though.
Christmas at my Dad's was great, he is all married and happy, it is a great sight to see. More food, more fun. Christmas at my mom's the next morning, more food, more fun, more food. Completed the day by changing spark plugs in 2 of my brother-in-law's cars, frozen solid but happy to help out. That night Brandy and I got to spend a little one-on-one time at a couple local restaurants. It always occurs to me that I would be perfectly happy trying to make her perfectly happy the rest of my life. I don't always do such a good job of it but I try and it is appreciated when I do I think but we are human and that means we are unpredictable at times. It is amazing to me how we can love people so much and still hurt them so much.
Back home that night after an arguous, long drive home which I managed to let slip by as wasted time. One home things got back on a positive page and we finished the night well. I would skip most of my day just to lay and hold Brandy at night. That is a drug I hope to never rehabilitate from.
Ups, downs, highs & lows. All invaluable parts of the human experience. I hope our ups outnumber the downs, I hope our highs outweigh the lows. It all becomes worth it in the end I think.
This life is a funny, unpredictable animal. You just can not call it. It is a totally untamed animal, it seems to me all we can do is work on ourselves.
I know if I can get me "right" enough I can master the lack of patience and mean natured temper that I seem to have been either born with or have adopted. I want my life to be more about the pursuit of enlightenment, control and self-mastery. I heard John Maxwell say recently that his definition of success is to have the one's that love you the most, to respect you the most. I think that is a life-changer. To become enough of a stable man for the people who see me with my armor off most often to respect me the most requires that my character and morals be fully intact and ring true all the way to the very core of my being. It is not so at this current moment in time.
The great thing about being alive is that just as everyone else is unpredictable in our eyes, we are also unpredictable in theirs. That means I can change! I can change absolutely everything about me if I want to, no one can keep me from doing this but myself. So, I will. I am going to be quicker to love and slower to hate. I am going to appreciate the great things about people and turn a blind eye to what I don't like. I won't be walked on or taken advantage of but I will be safe. I will be one of those calm places on earth where people can relax and let their guard down knowing that I am not going to pick apart or expose every flaw that they leave unprotected.
I am not the type to set New Year's resolutions but this will be a year of change for me. I will mold my character this year into something people will be proud to be associated with, my family will lean on and my kids will respect. I want to be regarded and remembered as a man who spent his life pouring into and helping others. I sit and watch our youngest, Ryley, love people and enjoy them. I think I can love people the way she does if I really try.
I could type forever today, I am full, my mind is racing but I need to close this out. I leave with this, life can be great, life can be a pleasure, we can be satisfied while in the pursuit, and we can love fully and uncompromisingly.
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