Monday December 21, 2009...Nearing the end

I don't write nearly as often as I did. I'm not as mad as I was when the Iraq war was in full swing. I know that the Afghan war is coming to the forefront and growing day by day, but I don't feel quite as angry about it as I did about the Iraq war. Maybe you become desensitized after a bit? Maybe I'm just hopeful that we have a reasonable man in charge right now. It does seem that he is trying to help the common person and isn't quite the elitist that we had to endure. President Obama didn't come into this world with a silver spoon in his mouth and he knows what most of the people are feeling about the events that affect us all. I hope that he will let that knowledge guide him in his decision making and not let the few and special interests control our politics.

I was starting to get angry about this health care initiative being boycotted completely by the Republicans in spite of the majority of the population wanting it, but now that the Democrats are trying their best to work around the blockade of the special interests and big money, maybe we can all be less agitated and feel better about things.

It's the end of a rough year for the economy and the job market, but the Iraq war seems to be less of a commitment for our boys and there seems to be some movement towards a better future for the world. Let's hope that peace will come and that prosperity will return and that health will be assured for each and every one of us.

Merry Christmas and a Hopeful Happy New Year!

Sunday December 13, 2009...It's a wonderful life!

It's that time of the year when they show that classic movie “It's A Wonderful Life” with Jimmy Stewart. You remember that the angel came down when Jimmy contemplated suicide and showed him how the world would have turned out if Jimmy had never been born. It was a real eye opener for Jimmy and he came to accept the trials and tribulations set before him because they were offset by many of the good things in life. The angel earned his wings and it was a Merry Christmas, except for the mean old banker.

It really is a wonderful life for all of us if we accept the problems that arise as something to overcome and not as something to overwhelm us. It's the only life we will ever have and you really need to look at the glass as half full, not as half empty. I've always considered that you basically have the choice at each interval of your life on which way to go and if the way you chose doesn't turn out as expected, it was still your choice and it is still your choice whether to continue on or to change course. You can't mope and fret over decisions that turned out bad – you just have to accept and head out in a new direction perhaps with a new plan. Many of us set out in life to become one thing and then through consequences of decisions and outside influences we become something else. It takes some strength of character to continue on in the new direction and make the most of what you have.

Whatever brought me through life to this point has made me the way I am and I can't change the past. But, I have total control of what I do in the future. I truly believe that life is a gift and I don't intend to squander the days or years that I have left. I want to make the rest of my life a wonderful life.

Watch the movie.