… I reflect back on the last 12 months and am filled with all kinds of feelings and emotions. I remember back in January after packing away Christmas for another year, I thought, OK, I’m going to make more changes and strive to re-establish some past changes that paid dividends in many areas of my life. I must have drifted off and taken a nap and when I woke I was climbing back up that ladder to the attic with my son to retrieve Christmas again. Can anyone tell me what happened during the intervening months.
I know, you’ve been there too. Let’s see, February, oh yes, our 36th wedding anniversary. My wife should be given the highest civilian medal for staying with me for that long. March, hummm, now I remember, I flew to the East Bay city of San Leandro, CA to help pack and drive my sister to Arizona where she will take up residence in Mom’s house in the mountains. At the end of April, Sally (my spouse) went on Sisters Weekend and my brother-in-law, Jim Parker, and I went camping in the Chiricahua mountains of southern Arizona. I wrote about that trip in my May 14th posting which can be found in the Archives. In May I participated in a book club group that studied the “Bhagavida Gita – according to Gandhi” which was very revealing and provided much to think and ponder about. I had the distinct honor of officiating at the wedding of a dear friend and former co-worker in June up in Medford, Oregon. What a beautiful wedding in a beautiful state. This being my first trip to Oregon I took the opportunity to check out the surrounding region which included watching some men fish for salmon on the Rogue River and a run up to Crater Lake. It was a great trip and I look forward to visiting again.
July was a typically hot month in the valley of the sun with temps well into the 100′s so what better time to escape to the alpine mountains of Eastern Arizona. My family held a “Family Reunion Campout” at 9100 feet in the White Mountains and had a great time. It was one of those memory making events for the family which the little ones will always remember. At the end of August we took our youngest son to San Francisco to continue his college career at the Art’s Academy University where he is majoring in cinematography. The kid’s got talent so someday I will be telling you all to watch some movie and stay for the credits where his name will be listed as a camara operator. In September it was still so hot that I thought I was going to die, but alas, I survived. October I hosted the 4th Annual Superstition Pumpkin Glow. This is a strictly men’s event held out in the foot hills of the Superstition Mountains. We carve pumpkins, eat my world-famous chili, light up the pumpkins at dusk and sit around the campfire swapping stories, eating S’mores and making chili music, if you get my drift. That last part is why it is strictly a men’s event. Nothing much happened in November aside from me turning 61 and giving a concert on the last Sunday of the month. I hadn’t done a concert in forever but I had a great time, Sally played the piano well and I had the chance to sing with some of my family.
Now it’s December and this month is always full of things to do and participate in. As I write this it is Thursday, the 23rd and tonight is the Compton’s Christmas Eve’s Eve party. All the family who can make it come over, we share the traditional Mexican food potluck, sing Christmas carols, tell the Christmas story and exchange gifts.
So another year has passed and next year holds many unknowns. But I know that I have much to look forward to and so do you. I hope that maybe something that I wrote about this past year or so has been meaningful to you or at least gave you a good laugh.
Blessings on all of you…………
….the journey continues….
Richard
