Post Christmas and pre-2005 musings

Well - the tree will be coming down soon. My wife is in her post-Christmas cleaning frenzy and the kids are doing their post-Christmas thing (playing with games, catching up on homework etc.). Me? I've been trying to catch up with old friends and just generally staying out of the way as much as possible.
Recent news events have proven that Mother Nature is a force not to be trifled with. As of the most recent CNN reports - almost 120,000 people are dead just in Asia - most in Indonesia. Despite what other countries have stated, the US has contributed as much as it can. There are some talking heads in the media that rail that we have not. They are wrong, but since we do have a Bill of Rights, they have a right to their opinion.
There was a bit of a break in this blog due to having to run the vacuum cleaner in the bathroom for my wife to clean the kid's bathroom.
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. All the best to everyone for a blessed, fruitful, and wonderful 2005.

Well here we are

Another Christmas Eve is upon us...

It has been an interesting and bittersweet year. My kids are growing up, life goes on, and people come and go.

I hope, however, not to lose three people again as I did this year. Let me tell you a bit about each of them.

1. My father-in-law George - A good-hearted but tough son of a gun. The first time I met him, he was a gentle giant, wondering who this boy was who came to see his daughter (now my wife) in the hospital. Through the years he was alive, I came to be the son he never had and tried to live up as best I could to that label. With his loss back in April 2004, the mentors I had were down to one (more on that later).
2. My grandmother Esther - A sweet lady with conviction, grace, charm, and a tough streak that came out when it was deemed necessary. Up until about six months ago, she would walk, see her great-grandkids (and talk to them), and just be a grandma. She had a good life through all of her 96 years. She passed away quietly in May 2004.

3. My father Bob - Taken way too soon in October 2004. He was doing what he loved - working to help people. He was one of the chairs of a committee who evaluated people from all walks of life who were looking for expereimental medical care. He served them well. He was a kind, intelligent, graceful, charming, and (to his sons) a firm man. He could explain things as simple as the process of making toast, and also how an MRI worked.

It will be a bittersweet Christmas for this family, but one in which we will remember those lost with love.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and may 2005 bring you all that you desire.