Happy Holidays!
 For
my personal note, I guess I should simply say that 2001 was not a
particularly great year for me.
The highlight, no doubt, is Jesse. He has
blossomed into a fine young man, that any father would be proud to
call his son. It is a little strange to have him wear my size shoes
and shirts, and to look into my eyes when we stand.
But growing up isn't about which department you buy your clothes.
Growing up is about making decisions, knowing right from wrong,
knowing what you should do, and doing it. As was said of me so many
years ago: Jesse is 14, going on 30. He is the light of my life, and
one of the few bright spots in a rather bleak year.
 Like
any good father, I leaned over his crib (fourteen years
ago) and made of list of goals for my son. Many have already come
true. I wished for him to be outspoken and opinionated, and to trust
his own judgement instead of instinctively deferring to authority
figures. I hoped for him to have and to show good judgment, and
an even temperament, but to stand up or speak up when the situation
merited. In short, I wanted him to grow up, not like
me, but how I wished I was. To be the best of me and
the best of Lyn and, for those things that neither of us are proud,
better than the both of us. And at 14, he regularly shows that much
of my wishes are part of his basic personality, the essence that is
Jesse. I am very, very proud of my son.
 But
he has a long way to go. Home schooling is a blessing and a curse. It
enabled us to travel (which, we didn't) but it requires Lyn and I to
take a large role in both his detail lesson plans and his eventual
grading/feedback. These are difficult and time consuming tasks. It
also requires Jesse to be self-motivated, with attention to detail
and discipline to follow through. These personality traits are not
part of any 14 year old (that did not arrive on earth
in a spaceship). The good thing is, he knows what he needs to do and
to be, and that is way more than half the battle. I look forward to
2002 being a year of his understanding the role that discipline and
hard work play in success, the 10% inspiration part he has down pat.
His first class at community college was a wee bit of a disaster,
despite getting an "A", due to the worst instructor in
history. But we know his second can only be better. For us it has
been a year of croquet and darts, Red Alert and NTN, My Three Sons
and My Man Godfrey, Bar-B-Q and Rio Bravo. He purchased, installed,
configured and repaired two new computers and our LAN (all I did was
sign the checks and keep him on schedule). He knows when to pat my
back and when to tell me I'm wrong, and he isn't afraid to do either.
I am so very very proud.
As you know by now, Lyn has been getting
progressively worse with her nagging illness, but so slowly as
to be almost unnoticeable. Her physical problems have been creeping
into our lives at a snail's pace, and the medical community seems to
offer us no quick or easy solution. Hopefully, 2002 will have all
this resolved, one way or the other: either diagnosed and treated on
the way to recovery, or given up as hopeless and aggressively address
symptomatic relief for her. We seem to be strung out as symptoms
slowly appear and the doctors shrug their shoulders. And you know the
adage; "When Mamma's happy, everybody's happy." And its
opposite is equally true.
The economy had been slowing down prior to
September 11th, but certainly took a crunch afterward. It has been
difficult to watch good people with valuable skills experience
downsizing. There is a weird mix of disbelief/denial, sorrow, and
guilt as I press on doing my job in their absence. I am sure
everybody reading this note has been affected by the economy and
events, but it has really been a major portion of my life this year.
My personal economic peak was the summer before Y2K, with so many
companies rushing to the deadline. I anticipated an eventual
slowdown, but I am now ready for the eventual bounce-back. If I were
to ask Santa for just one present this year, it would no doubt be prosperity.
It has been a good year for me being introspective. I have published
alot of my thoughts on my personal web pages. As I reach my mid-40's
I am gaining insight into the things that are important in life, and
those that just consume one's time. I constantly wish I had the
energy (and vitality) of youth and the cognitive wherewithal of
middle-age, don't we all. I am afraid the pace shall continue, and
each new insight, each resolved issue and conflict will arrive with a
new ache or pain in my back or knee. I new it would happen, I just
didn't expect it to happen to me.
If you get a chance, link to my
page, read my stories and see my pictures. Of course, send
us your e-mail so we can keep in contact. And keep in contact.
Sentimentality is a gift that comes with age. Good friends and good
times are one those few things that count in this world.
|
To you and your family, my simple holiday wish:
Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to All.
Have Happy Holidays and a
Healthy and Prosperous New Year. |
Dave |
