Just a few final thoughts to share today on the holidays and the New Year ahead:

1. Reunions – I was at the St. Louis airport before Christmas to pick up my daughter and her family from Utah.  This airport is a rather large hub for soldiers traveling home for the holidays.  So, there are plenty of opportunities to see heart-warming reunions.  I saw one family awaiting the arrival of their son.  You could see the anxiousness as they waited.  Then, the utter joy they experienced when their son arrived just melted my heart.  I am a sucker for these reunions anyway.  But, it just makes you appreciate more having family together when you think that many families of our service men and women were not able to experience that same joy.  Thanks to you that serve now, or in the past, or have loved ones away protecting the freedoms we enjoy!
2. Passing it on – We had a houseful of guests during must of the holiday season.  And, as is often the case, we had some sickness passed around.  This was the stomach bug that is even more feared.  It made me wonder if it is possible to fumigate a home after such a sickness to completely eradicate any left behind viruses.
3. A bad mix – Plastic baseball bats, glass Christmas tree ornaments, and 3-years olds are a bad combination.  Just saying….
4. Vintage – Earlier in December, my siblings and I were reminiscing about Christmas when we were kids.  One of the remembrances was the aluminum Christmas tree our mother had.  It stood about 4 feet high and used a rotating light to give it color.  My sister then found and gave to me as a gift a miniature version.  It has to be over 60 years old and stands about 2 feet high.  It has a skirt and vintage ornaments.  A photo is attached today.  What a wonderful gift from a wonderful sister!
5. Looking ahead to 2017 – We often feel the need to look ahead to what we’ll do differently, what challenges we face, or what new experiences we’ll have as the New Year approaches.  It is also a good time to look back.  We often fail to see the progress we are making because we fail to take that backward look.  Think for a minute about your experiences of 2016.  Think about the progress you made in your career or at work.  Would you want to go back and do 2016 all over again?  Think about the friends you made or friendships you nurtured.  Think about projects you completed, skills you learned, and fun times you experienced.  Those memories are precious and experiences you’ll never have again.  But, the new year will bring similar memories and new experiences.  A year from now, we’ll be amazed at how our lives are different, hopefully better, as a result of 2017.  Take time today to cherish the year we are just completing, but let’s look ahead with excitement and anticipation as we prepare to turn the page of another calendar year.

Thanks to each of you that I call a friend, a colleague, a neighbor, a family member, or even just a connection.  The wonderful people of my life make each new day a new adventure for me.  I look forward to what we will experience together in 2017!