It began a few years ago as my wife, Kathy was looking to start a family tradition.
Each year the contest takes a different twist and we get about 4 weeks to prepare.
The simple rules that Kathy announced on Thanksgiving was we had to use the plastic one dimensional snowflake she was giving us, and take a picture of it with a cameraphone and send it to me before the Christmas eve gathering. No photoshopping allowed and also no pets or cute babies.
Having recently celebrated my 52nd Birthday, I was talking again with my wife Kathy about our lives.
Kathy and I have a lot of opposites in our lives, I was an only child, she has 6 siblings.
She thinks we are polar opposites politically, I think we are closer than she realizes, but we have different views on how to solve some of the political based problems.
We share a love that overcomes the differences, (which make life less boring), and instead focus on our common bonds including our faith, our sense of humor and our support for each other.
So as far as Wise… Wisdom comes with age only if we keep learning. Curiosity combined with access to the web can make anyone as wise as they want.
Wealthy? That’s all a matter of perspective. I work in the world of marketing and advertising. My primary responsibility is to sell stuff and get paid to do so. I am in a profession that I can always find work. I walked away from my last job this year after 8 years to move into the web world. While there has been a bit of a learning curve, which I expected, I am never afraid of being unemployed. And that is significant in this age we live in.
Kathy also has the opportunity to never be unemployed with her experience and credentials in health care, plus she launched her Life Coaching business a few years ago. Will we be wealthy? Not compared to some, but we’re not comparing ourselves to the mega-rich.
Health. This is a subject that each of us need to take personal responsibility for. You can’t really say, “I’m not as fat as ______”, and ignore your own health.
Ignorace is not bliss.
I know that my family has had a history of early deaths and some have lived long lives.
On my Mom’s side, she passed away in 2001 at the age of 68 from a heart attack. We discovered afterwards that she had heart disease. Her Mom also died from disease, cancer.
On my Dad’s side, both of his parents passed away before I was born and he died at age 67 from cancer.
But an early death, (before age 70) is not inevitable. I have an Uncle Bill on my Mom’s side who is now around 80. My Dad’s oldest brother Uncle Dean and my Aunt Jean are still going strong. I’m not sure their exact ages, but I’m guessing they will live to be in their 90’s.
So, I’m not exactly sure which steps I will be taking to improve my health, but eating habits is one I will be taking a close look at and making adjustments.
After all, if you’re not Healthy, all the “Wealthy and Wise” is wasted.
(The featured picture today is my first wedding, when I was 6 and a ring bearer along with my cousin Susie as the flower girl at a family wedding.)
It began a couple years ago, as a way to make Christmas fun and unique. Snowflakes, each one is unique and so the tradition was born. In 2006 we had a paper snowflake contest, and each year the competition is turned up a few notches. In 2007 word went out to create a unique snowflake and win a prize. Brandon, Rachael, Josh and Madeline each brought their own creations and the voting resulted in a tie, broken by a debate and the money was handed out.
And so that everyone would be included that visited, Snowflake pajama’s were given out to one and all. Thanks to everyone that came over, called, played, and sang!
Here’s a group shot of the kiddo’s:
This year once again my wife Kathy created a new snowflake contest and in less than a month, we’ll gather and check out all the entries, vote, and someone will walk away with some extra cash!
What unique and special or weird traditions does your family do?
This is from my archives, originally posted November, 2005. Happy Thanksgiving.
Attitude. It really makes all the difference. I spoke with a Doctor client of mine recently and she told me how she is making less and less due to health insurance cutbacks. That may be a reality but there is a silver lining to that storm and I hope she finds it. Everyday I come across folks with a great attitude and those with a rotten attitude. It makes no difference how much money they make, or what they drive, or any of those external circumstances.
Now, I must admit, that I am generally positive but can develop a bad attitude at times. The key is to be able to see the silver linings, and realize that you have the power to change. And the rest of the power is in God’s hands. (It’s always better to work with God, not against Him).
Kathy and I were talking this past week about laughter and how important it is in our lives. I urge you to fill your lives with a little laughter, it’s wonderful for your heart, soul and attitude.
Life has not been easy for Josh, but despite it all he has a strength that lives one day at a time with an eye on the future and a heart for others.
A couple years ago when I turned 50 about 3 weeks after Josh turned 25 it was a time of reflection for me as I looked back on all that I had been thru since I was his age and I was excited for both of us.
Wondering what the next 25 years will hold.
To give you a sense of who he is, here’s a brief video from a few years ago:
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