Winding down the year and Opening up the world

Winding down the year we are now at 24 days to go and 18 days until Christmas. There isn't much going on in the local political arena at the moment and you know what? That's probably a good thing. I guess people are getting ready for Christmas, although there are probably a lot of anxieties associated with the economy and its direct effect on this year's Christmas.

You know if it were up to me, and its not, we would get back to the real meaning of Christmas. I remember being a kid and having the family around this time of year. Yeah, I was excited about the materialistic part, but what I would give to have my Grandfathers around or those exciting Christmas Eves eating Oyster stew, Shrimp Cocktail. and other good food and telling stories and the smells and the sounds.

Truthfully, I was never into the gifts as much as I was the warmth and camaraderie of family and knowing that we were all in this thing together. I hope that some of y'all have that, and you know, if you can't afford the Ipods, Iphones, LCDs, the latest fashion, or other trinkets, then don't despair, because that is not what this season is supposed to be all about. It's supposed to be about Love of Life, not love of things,

The Commercial culture has been shoved down our throat to the point that it needs to be regurgitated. I loved what I heard from a person yesterday. They said Americans are the only people who have off-site self storage units. They then joked that if we don't stop our wasteful consumption spending habits that we might just end up living in those places. Then they spoke about how they are having to put that into the contracts, because people have been doing just that.

We are told that if we don't spend a lot of money and consume, then the world is going to end. Well, I'm here to tell you that if we don't start getting to know one another, and I mean soul-to-soul, then our personal comfortable worlds are going to end.

I just look at how our whole society has gotten to the point of rack and ruin and it seems so lonely. Disposable relationships, infidelity, divorce, kids having kids, putting the parents away as soon as they are deemed a burden... It surely isn't the Walton's. These are all effects of the lowest common denominator elements of individualism -- Me, Me, me, me, me, selfishness. We all are meant to go through trials and tribulations, but how many times do we bring these excessive burdens on ourselves?

I don't care about the Idiom of being thankful for what you've got. It is worse to say it, if you aren't practicing it. Does it even need to be said? You either are or you aren't and that's a personal thing. If you are truly thankful for what you've got, then it takes more than flipping a few bucks in a Salvation Army Kettle at Christmas to show it. It means having a deep conversation with someone who is struggling with life. It means going out of your way to help someone find a job, when they don't have one. It means inviting a lonely friend over to eat or to a party. It means developing relationships and helping people, not turning a blind eye. This is how we bring power to the individual through selflessness.

If I could have a few wishes for Christmas:
1) I'd like to personally have the opportunity to thank some active soldiers face-to-face and if you see any I hope that you will do the same. No one is perfect, we see heroes show their humanity every day, but these men and women put their lives on the line, because it is their job. They are doing what they are told to do and they willingly allow themselves to be put in harms way, so that we can lead our lives in relative comfort. It is our obligation to care and to participate in the governance of this country, because so many people forged a path that allows us to manage our own destiny. And frankly the average person in this country is squandering what people have sacrificed to give us and that is the greatest insult to the foundation of our country.

2) I'd like for people to sit down and study where this country is at today. Come to your own conclusion, but you need to learn about the debt and the deficit and how it personally relates to you and your family. People need to sit down with their family members and have frank talks about their personal finances. They need to talk with their children about the tough choices that are going to have to be made. People need to be prepared for the hard times that are coming. Most of all, they need to prepare their children for the hard times that are coming. Think of it as a Hurricane in the Atlantic. Do you ignore it and hope it goes away? Or do you prepare and hope it doesn't hit? Which is the better position to be in?

3) I'd like for people to be themselves and quit trying to project an image of who they want people to think they are. Andre Agassi had that old Canon commercial, "Image is everything." I like Agassi, but it was all image, because he is now admitting he was doing Crystal Meth and other stuff during that time. And yada, yada, yada, we all know about the world's best golfer... Image means nothing. It's all about substance. Tis better to openly be who you are, with all of your flaws, and build a history on the integrity of your own merits, than to live a lie to please others and allow those people to control and manipulate your legacy in the end.

In the end, what I am getting at is the Idea of openness and understanding. That is why I share this with those willing to listen. We only live so long and you don't want to regret not saying things that need to be said or doing things that need to be done. We all have hopes and dreams and we all have regrets. The key is to have as few regrets as possible. In my reflective times, I have gone through lately, I have been able to clearly see the different periods of life I have gone through. Yes, I have many frustrations that keep me from peacefulness, but the older I have gotten, the fewer regrets I have when it comes to things in my control and this enlightenment is the one thing that has kept me sane.

Thank you,
God Bless You,
See You Soon,
JTS