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DEFINITION OF A VETERAN

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard, or
reserve - is someone who, at one point in his or her life, wrote a blank check made payable to The United States of America , for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.

- Author Unknown

Good advice sent to me by a friend........
1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns . If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough rest.
18. Eat right.
19 Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.
22. Every day, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."
27. Laugh….then laugh some more!
28. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
29. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
30. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
31. Sit on your ego.
32 Talk less; listen more.
33. Slow down.
34. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
35. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. Dr. Seuss

Well......the gifts have been opened and dinner consumed - now everyone is off to play with their new toys. After years of the girls teasing me that I am a control freak about Christmas e.g. every ornament on the tree perfectly positioned etc, I decided that I would turn over a new leaf. Having taken a "chill pill" this year, I enjoyed the new smaller tree, put up fewer (but still plenty) of decorations, cooked a simpler and probably more enjoyable Christmas dinner (steaks on the grill, with mushrooms, twice baked mashed potatoes and salad with blue cheese) and simplified the gift wrapping process by re-using all the pretty gift bags from years past - the girls say I'm being lazy - but hey it's earth friendly ! So what did I do with the free time this made available - well cleaned puppy pens and no I didn't get cards sent, however I am sticking with the tradition I established two years ago and am sending New Year's cards.......but much more importantly I didn't do a damn thing with that time except slowed down enjoyed the family and focused on what' s really important about the season....it was a good thing - think I'll do it again.