My blog has certainly suffered. It has some glitches that need repairing and I've just not had the time to sit down and study up on how to fix them properly. In addition, it will likely be the new year before I learn how to use the amazon associates programs properly.
I've had a running battle with Quickbooks this year but after meeting with a real accountant, I think she's got me on the right path with that. Hopefully! Now all I have to do is get the work done and all will be well.
This month, I enjoyed two days with my daughter. That was not only a pleasant surprise but a very comfortable one and we've decided to make time for one another much more in the coming years.
We've never had a rift or anything dramatic, it's just we both get incrediably busy with a miraid of other things and fall behind on what is really important. I suppose that's a big club on its own. We just didn't want to join it.
I think it's wonderful how a big storm will slow everyone down because whether they know it or not, most of us need slowing down. I know full well how dangerous bad storms can be. They usually have some very negative affects, but it's the positive I want to focus on. If you're snowed in, you get time to tidy up and get better organized.
Many of my friends have gone completely mad with Christmas shopping in an attempt to give presents galore to their children. Many have gone into overkill mode. As a result, they're worn to a frazzle and broke. They might stay broke well into the new year until the bills get paid up. It certainly kills the entire theme of Christmas in my mind.
I guess there's a lot to be said for being poor. You have to dream up ways to give someone a present when you have little or no money to spend. So you resort to gift cards offering to shovel the driveway, wash the dishes or clean the car or any other chore the recipient might need done.
Crafy folks can usually make a nice scarf, or hat or typeset and frame a favourite poem for those they love. Presents like that for me, have much more meaning and come from the heart fired by thought.
At times I've questioned people about this overspending spree and I get answers such as:
"I love doing it and watch their faces light up.
I love to shop.
I love to see what they think of what I bought them."
You'll notice, it's all about "I" with little thought for "them".
I know when they read this, I'll get more justification as to why they do it. Or, they'll tell me, this isn't what they meant! But one reason I do think they do it is because the expectation is, that they will. They've been trained to do it over time and as a consequence, they train their children to do it too. Hopefully, they'll see the nuances for themselves one day and change it.
One happy family I know has sat down and agreed that only 10% of gifts can be purchased. Each year they have to invent, dream up and create gifts to give one another. That makes sense to me, and certainly works without damaging the family budget.
Big business won't like it. This is the time of year when they sell like mad to those manic shoppers. It's a sad thing that some people wait for seasonal occasions to give someone a present.
In the midst of this madness, there is the reason for Christmas itself. It's the birthday of Jesus Christ born some 2000 years ago depending on the calendar you follow. Organized religions, sects, and cults have made much of this event on a world scale and follow the principles of christianity to a fault. Having a conscience for your actions is, to me, a good thing. Who knows what horrors might surface without them.
With all of the above said, I have to share with you this poem. It used to be printed annually in a paper called: The Eastern Shore Sandpiper. It was written by one of the owners of that paper. Not by myself. The message in it is well worth repeating.
Who Is Santa Claus
If we all believed in Santa Claus,
how sad our Christmas would be,
we'd see no decorations,
no gifts beneath the tree.
We'd all sit back and wait for him,
to do what must be done,
to fill all stockings generously,
and be off on his magic run.
Yes -they say there is no Santa Claus,
no reindeer, no gift-laden sleigh,
that listening for hooves on the rooftops,
is a spoof, a farce and a nay.
Still -there hasn't been a Christmas Eve,
in two thousand years or more,
when Santa has failed in his mission,
to stop at every door.
God comes in many disguises,
and Santa is one -you see,
he lives through the heart of the giver,
he lives through you and through me.
So open your heart to his spirit,
it's your turn to bring him to town,
and that bearded, overweight, prowler,
will be your love dressed up as a clown.
To conclude, I wish all who read my blog the very best of the season and may the new year bring you joy. Stay Well!
