New Year's Eve 2013

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock ... Just a little while until everything changes, until nothing changes.

Tick-tock, tick-tick-tick ... We may never be the same, yet we remain as we were.

Tick-tock, tock ... The slate is wiped clean, but it is the same blackboard and the same chalk.

New Year's Eve seems to be one of those celebrations that adults just adore. A chance to stay up late, drink too much alcohol, and act like boisterous children. But I think that having fun and celebrating whatever comes your way is a great way to approach life, provided that you do so responsibly and respectfully.

I have never been one to be a great participant in the festivities. After my college days were over, my body has always shut down well before midnight. That's O.K., I still wish you well. I pray for blessings for you in the new year.

Resolutions 2013

Each year at the end of December I sit down and ponder a set of New Year's resolutions. While this may label me cliché, my considerations in this area have served me well. Reflections on who we are, where we have been, and where we are going, I think are necessary to give us some direction so that we don't move through life following Brownian motion. While some may be satisfied ping-ponging around in a random fashion from season to season, I find my best strategy is to define a set of goals or boundary conditions before I set out. I want to recognize what I want and what areas of my life need my time and attention.

It is only natural that as I plot my course for the upcoming year, I take a hard look back at the preceeding year to see how well I achieved the goals that I laid out. Today I share with you my findings. Certainly baring myself in this manner will allow you to see into me more deeply than I am comfortable, but maybe someone will get something out of this that will make this worthwhile. You will note that I tend to trip and fall more than I succeed. That does not necessarily indicate defeat. If I give my best or even a reasonable effort and fail, I can still live with that failure. It is the failures due to my own laziness or ineptness that frustrate me and pull me down. Anyway, here is my list of 2013 resolutions with a brief commentary for each item.

• To go out on at least two dates - Once again it was a date-less year. However, I did take a friend's advice and planted a few seeds. Who knows what will germinate and bloom in the future?
  
• To exercise the whole year - I did very well with my exercising throughout the year. The only days I missed were due to sickness and when my machine broke and I had to wait for replacement parts.
  
• To consistently take smaller portions on my dinner plate - I failed completely on this and I lacked discipline from start to finish.
  
• To make several new friends - I was feeling like this had been a complete failure until my pastor started inviting me pretty regularly to meet over coffee. Also I am working to develop a friendship with a couple at my church and had them over to dinner late in the year.
  
• To grow closer to my daughter - I do not feel like I was especially successful here. Part of the issue as our children age is that they are, by design, growing more and more independent. I always feel like I am struggling to let go of the young child that I knew. Also it does not help that she lives only part of the time with me. Being apart so often does not lead to depth in a relationship.
  
• To embrace adventure and living to a higher degree - I would say that I failed almost completely in this area. As I get older, I find that I am becoming more and more satisfied to hide out at home after work.
  
• To find some degree of happiness and peace - I think that I healed a bit this year in part due to the passage of time when the emotions and the memories naturally dissipate, but also due to a more concerted effort of focusing less on myself. I still have a long way to go before I can claim anything sustainable, but maybe there has been some progress.
  

Now I will prepare my list of resolutions for 2014 and plan to give my best effort to be successful on each. Win, lose, or draw, the key is to keep trying.

Best Books of 2013

This year I have read 72 books and have come across some that really captivated me. In fact, looking back over my list, I can say that there wasn't a turkey among them. I have been on so many adventures through the pages that I have turned. So, as is my tradition at the end of each year, I wanted to share my list of the top 10 "books" for this year in no particular order. Note that I use "books" because I typically count a series by an author as one entry.

• A Song of Fire and Ice series (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons), George R.R. Martin
  
• Odd Thomas series (Odd Thomas, Forever Odd, Brother Odd, Odd Apocalypse, Odd Interlude, Deeply Odd), Dean Koontz
  
• The Brothers Karamozov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  
• The Dancing Priest series (Dancing Priest, A Light Shining), Glynn Young
  
• The Rabbit Angstrom series (Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit is Rich, Rabbit at Rest), John Updike
  
• His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass), Philip Pullman
  
• The Books of Mortals (Sovereign), Ted Dekker
  
• The Pilgrim's Regress, C.S. Lewis
  
• Licks of Love, John Updike
  
• The Witches of Eastwick, John Updike
  

I have already started to pick out some books for the first part of 2014. If you have any suggestions, send them along and I will check them out. I keep my list of reads current on my Shelfari page.

Blog Recap 2013

It has become my tradition at the end of each year to look back over my posts for the past 12 months and pick out my 10 favorites. Actually, most often the posts that I choose to put on these lists are not so much the best composed from a technical standpoint, but the most memorable to me. Something silly that gave me a laugh when I desperately needed one or allowed me to explore a topic that was uncomfortable or forced me to take a risk that I might otherwise not have or gave me an opportunity to capture a memory so that it didn't get away entirely.

I began this blog back in 2008 when I felt that I was at the end of my line. Back in those days I wrote chiefly for myself. Blogging was an activity that allowed me to put my mind to something that helped to dispel the darkness. Today, I hope that something of what I have to say might somehow help others. Maybe I give you a chuckle or express something that helps you to better understand yourself. My greatest hope is that every once in a while I can, in some small way, help to heal someone and bring some measure of resolve to give it a go for one more day.

So, without further ado, here is my top 10 list of my own blogs (in no particular order) for 2013.

• Inside - Outside (Dec. 11) - About being on the outside and looking in.
  
• Silver Frame (Nov. 26) - A tribute to my daughter and missing the younger version of her.
  
• A Tisket a Tasket (Oct. 10) - A gift that still gives.
  
• Rolls and Drones (Oct. 9) - An apology to a friend insulted.
  
• One Last Hug (Sep. 26) - About embracing the present before it becomes the past.
  
• Starry Sky (Sep. 18) - Feeling small and finding a way through.
  
• Interview (Jun. 24) - A sit down with my friend Kai.
  
• Terminus (May 30) - A final goodbye to a piece of my heart.
  
• Replay (May 13) - The blessed memories in the mess.
  
• Nightmares (Jan. 10) - About losing sleep over things are out of your control.
  

I hope that you found some value here and thanks for supporting me through this site. I so appreciate the visitors. See you in the 2014 recap.

Christmas 2013

I hope that everyone, young, old, and in between, finds a reason to smile today. Oh, not just a nervous smile or an obligatory smile, but a smile that arises up from the very depths of your spirit that you could not contain if you tried. Merry Christmas to everyone. May God keep you and bless you. I also take today to give thanks for all of my online friends and look forward to growing our relationship in the coming year.

Christmas Eve 2013

When we consider the eve before any important moment, it can often lead to feelings of panic or unease. There always seems to be so much to do and so little time left before the deadline. In the case of Christmas Eve, so many folks find themselves in a tizzy with far too many items remaining to check off their "to-do" lists. Wrapping presents, preparing the house for tomorrow's company, preparing baked goods, making sure that everything is in place for the big Christmas feast, and worrying and fretting over every little detail and potential issue (real or imagined). I pray that you find some time to get away by yourself and find the peace that eludes you. Furthermore, I pray that you all remember to celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus and reflect on what He ultimately sacrificed for you. Blessings to all of my online friends.

Observations 41

My occasional blog series "Observations" was created to be an outlet to share a variety of topics that pop into my field of view as a result of a condition that many bloggers are afflicted with known as "blogger's eyes". In this state we view the world on the constant look-out for topics on which to write about. Today's blog came about from random odds 'n ends of things that I have noticed over the past few weeks.

• Presently there are no less than 4 of the stick-type erasers sitting on my desk. Hmmm, I wonder if this is trying to tell me something.
  
• Nelson Mandela passed away recently. One of his basis statements was, "No one is born hating." Another was, "If they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love."
  
• I ordered take-out at a restaurant the other day and when I got home and opened the bag, I found a jackpot wad of napkins. The stack was more than 4 inches high. Really, I only need one or two and I am good.
  
• I just read that at this year's Super Bowl game, tailgating (or cooking out and drinking beer in the parking lot) will not be permitted as it has been for all previous Super Bowls. Football fans are responding with hate and vitriol, yet this game will be played in New York City in February. Is sitting outside nibbling snacks and drinking a cool beverage in such conditions a good time for anyone?
  
• A group of six folks went out to play in the Nevada snow and did not come back. After more than 48 hours in frigid conditions, hope was dwindling that they would survive. They were found alive and in pretty good shape considering their ordeal. Finally a news story about a positive development in our world.