I hope everyone had a great holiday season and was surrounded by
people whose company you truly enjoy and presence you genuinely cherish. The holidays that fall on the calendar
between late November and early January mean many different things to different
people, but for me it’s all about re-connecting with family; reliving old
family traditions and creating new ones for the next generation.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was Christmas Eve at
Aunt Ruth and Pyran Wayne’s house. There
was just something magical about this much-anticipated event on December 24th
every year. From as far back as my
memory can reach all the way up to coming home on leave from the Navy, we’d get
all dressed up, load up the car and make our way towards a gathering of family
and food. In the midst of all this
visiting and gift-giving, we’d always take a moment to separate Christmas from
my sister’s birthday since a December 24th birthdate has a way of
getting lost in the shuffle. Time,
relocations, schedules and just life in general ended the tradition somewhere
along the line, but this year saw a return to the magical Christmas Eve at Aunt
Ruth and Pyran Wayne’s house!! All of
the kids are grown now, but gathering family with food and sharing stories and
laughter still felt the same. So many
great memories from the past and now being made again!
Mid-November, I made the trip west to check into my new command and set
up a household in San Antonio. With the
help of colleagues and friends from work (as well as a nice cop who pulled me
over for running a stop sign), it didn’t take me long to find a place to rent
in a great location. My mom came out and
helped me unpack my household goods and find a place for them in my new
home. It was a busy and tiring week, but
we both enjoyed the quality time together.
Although my mom has only made a couple of moves in her lifetime, she definitely
has a knack for establishing a household!
After the boxes were unpacked and things put away, we drove back to
Louisiana in time for the Christmas holidays.
With such an intense and rewarding tour in NC from which to launch, I
feel potential all around me in this new location and opportunity. So, with the flip of a page on the calendar,
a fresh year is spread out before me. My
wish for all of you is the same as it is for me- that all obstacles will be
viewed as welcomed challenges and that each day ends with the feeling that your
presence in it mattered. Here’s to a fun
and prosperous 2013!
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