Friday, December 31, 2004
Reflections
Although my blog has taken a back seat to the holidays, this being the last day of 2004 gives me cause for reflection. It has as usual been an eventful year not just for my family but for our country and the world. As humans, we tend to be involved in our own small corner of the universe until tragedies like the hurricanes in Florida and the recent tsunamis in Asia grab us and shake us awake to the fact that we are part of a larger family.
Having family in Florida naturally made the rash of hurricanes more personal as we sat here in Maryland hoping and praying not just for our own but for all the overburdened residents in Florida. Our family members were lucky enough to have only minor damage and inconvenience but stories of all the displaced families touched our hearts. The coming year will be a challenge of rebuilding for all those affected by the hurricanes and we wish them peace and constant help in righting their lives. And along with all the people of the world, we will grieve for those families in Asia torn apart by the forces of Nature and offer whatever we can to ease their sorrow and rebuild their countries.
The war in Iraq continues to touch many of us here in America as our young men and women put themselves in harm's way to defend our way of life. We all follow the news stories each evening and many of us know someone who is over there. As a personal note, our son-in-law who is is a Marine will be joining the other brave marines, soldiers and service people in Iraq after the first of the new year. Although we will constantly worry about his safety, we are proud of his dedication to his country and his wife and children will be held closely in a loving atmosphere awaiting his safe return. To J.P. and all the others in Iraq we wish you God Speed and we thank you for your sacrifices.
And to all my family and friends and to everyone the world over, I hope 2005 brings us the blessings of peace, joy and love for without those things we only exist rather than live.
Although my blog has taken a back seat to the holidays, this being the last day of 2004 gives me cause for reflection. It has as usual been an eventful year not just for my family but for our country and the world. As humans, we tend to be involved in our own small corner of the universe until tragedies like the hurricanes in Florida and the recent tsunamis in Asia grab us and shake us awake to the fact that we are part of a larger family.
Having family in Florida naturally made the rash of hurricanes more personal as we sat here in Maryland hoping and praying not just for our own but for all the overburdened residents in Florida. Our family members were lucky enough to have only minor damage and inconvenience but stories of all the displaced families touched our hearts. The coming year will be a challenge of rebuilding for all those affected by the hurricanes and we wish them peace and constant help in righting their lives. And along with all the people of the world, we will grieve for those families in Asia torn apart by the forces of Nature and offer whatever we can to ease their sorrow and rebuild their countries.
The war in Iraq continues to touch many of us here in America as our young men and women put themselves in harm's way to defend our way of life. We all follow the news stories each evening and many of us know someone who is over there. As a personal note, our son-in-law who is is a Marine will be joining the other brave marines, soldiers and service people in Iraq after the first of the new year. Although we will constantly worry about his safety, we are proud of his dedication to his country and his wife and children will be held closely in a loving atmosphere awaiting his safe return. To J.P. and all the others in Iraq we wish you God Speed and we thank you for your sacrifices.
And to all my family and friends and to everyone the world over, I hope 2005 brings us the blessings of peace, joy and love for without those things we only exist rather than live.
