|
Ok, so I sat here at my desk and tried to find
something to write which would be a fine beginning to the new
year, which is 2007 for those of you who haven't been following
along. I've already written something about holiday related
violence (Red and green. Black and blue), something about
the kids being crazy and bored (Return to sender -
over at my
blog), and I considered telling you all the story of how my
youngest son was afraid of Santa, who he believed lives in China
with his band of Chinese midgets, because he was sure Santa and
his midgets were planning to invade his home, take all his toys
and proceed to scatter them across the globe. He saw Santa as a
sort of combination of Robin Hood and the Grinch. Do not think
about this too long, as it has been proven to cause adult brains
to turn to mush. After about a month of discussion, we finally
got him to understand that Santa is not such a bad guy and that
Santa wouldn't use his reindeer's antlers as offensive weapons.
But, since I decided not to tell you about that, I still wasn't
sure what to write.
Then I got an email.
Our friend Jim in Chicago told me the story of
his buddy Mike and Mike's girlfriend, Michelle. Michelle had a
stroke on Saturday, December 30 and passed away. No one saw it
coming. There were no warning signs. She was only 38 years old.
Mike and Michelle were the same as many of us. They were just
two people looking forward to spending 2007 and beyond together.
There was no time to say good-bye. Neither one of them thought
there was any reason to say it.
For my family, 2006 held many triumphs and
tragedies. There were happy moments, sad moments, times of anger
and disappointment as well as times of love and pride. Most of
all, though, we had those times together. Each one of you has
family or friends or neighbors that mean something in your life.
The lucky ones have all of those.
Hug your kids. Love your spouse. Tell your
friends you appreciate them. Enter 2007 with open eyes, open
hearts and fear nothing.
And if you find that your home is being
invaded by Chinese midgets, give them what they want.
|
