While the Christmas season is a joyous time for many, it’s also a stressful and sad time for those who have had a life changing event or have lost a loved one.
In our wildest imagination, a mass shooting in our small county of 12,657 would be the last thing to cross our minds, but here we are. Four people died of gunshot wounds and one remains hospitalized. One of those four was the suspected shooter.
Christmas is such a joyous time of the year for most families. For those who have lost a loved one, it’s a tough time. The memories are painful, but they also bring a lot of joy.
Christmas, when I was growing up, was always the best. At one time my dad worked four jobs just so he could provide for his family. Both parents always told us that they didn’t get anything from Santa, or very little, growing up so they wanted to make sure their kids had a decent Christmas. And they truly succeeded at it.
It won’t be long and it will be Christmas. Children have been counting days for a long time. This is the time of the year when they are so excited that their energy runs overtime. Parents and teachers don’t need calendars. Kids bouncing off walls is a huge signal that Christmas is close, and as each day draws closer, they seem to get worse. It’s a stressful time of the year for kids and worse for their parents and teachers. But in the end, it’s all worth it just to see the smiles and giggles.
One of the things that happens after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. I’ve never really understood the hype behind it all, but I know a lot of people who really love shopping on that crazy day every year.
I used to work with a friend who usually made it a family affair. They would get up in the middle of the night, leave around 4:00 a.m. and hit Jacksonville or Springfield, or both, and spend the whole day dodging traffic, shopping carts and irate, rude and unhappy people. Why?
No sooner is Thanksgiving over and we jump right ino Christmas. Honestly, I don’t see anything wrong with that, as long as we remember the true meaning of Christmas. Shopping is okay if you enjoy it. Gifts are nice too, but we must always remember the greatest gift of all, the gift of love.
We just completed our first week at our new location and we love it. The adjustment has been easy, getting everything done has been an experience. We’ve had great help by friends and we truly appreciate them. But like in all moves, there are opportunities to pitch and purge. We were also moving from a much larger building to a smaller one. We had a lot of wasted space in the other building. Now, we are learning to use our smaller space wisely.
This Saturday, November 11, is Veterans Day, a day that we take pause and thank those who served our country to help make it not only a free country, but the greatest nation on earth.
Many wars have been fought on this land and lands abroad by men and women who risked their lives for us, and yes, some gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives.
It’s always easy to tell the seasons are changing. Although many like the fall season, they don’t like the next season....winter.
Summer’s okay and I love spring. But as a youngster who had fire red hair, summer was not my friend. Sunburn after sunburn after sunburn. And it was always a blistered (usually second degree burns), painful experience.
If I had been traveling with Christopher Columbus in 1492, looking for a new sea route to India, China, Japan and other places, we would still be looking. Since I have no sense of direction, hard telling where we would have ended our journey. Come to think of it, he didn’t do such a good job of going to those countries because he ended up here.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween season as many are putting up “spooky” decorations. This year, the giant size seems to be pretty popular as more and more of them seem to be popping up around town.