What a ride! The decade of the 2020s has been a roller coaster, with more downs than ups. That said, we are rural. We don’t sulk. No “Woe is me.” We pull up the bootstraps and meet the challenges head-on with a little help from our friends.
2020 brought COVID, followed by the horrific, historic June 30, 2021 fire that destroyed 90 per cent of a town and more properties around it. The hat trick of horror was completed on Nov. 14, 2021, when the great flood took out roads, homes, and life in 24 hours. To say the decade got off to a rough start would be an understatement of epic proportions!
As we approach 2025, nearly halfway through the decade, a shot of positivity — a cup half-full, a mind set not on dwelling on the past, but on planning for the future — needs to take centre stage. Living in the moment. I am not a big “New Year’s resolution” guy, but this year one is needed.
On that note, I would like to hand off the rest of my offering to my father Wayne and a letter he penned. It is a message we can all aspire to. In this world of chaos and conflict, a voice of calm is needed more than ever.
My father (an earlier contributor to the Journal) offered that voice when the family gathered and he read his annual Christmas letter to us all. At 93 years young, he offers much food for thought, and a New Year’s Resolution that will resonate with most everyone.
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Merry Christmas 2024! Some food for thought; just a few things we would like to pass on, most of which has been discussed between your mother and me over time.
Remember, everything starts with a thought. Make all your thoughts positive and beneficial: about the goals you have achieved, happy events in your life, the beautiful free country you live in. Watching your beautiful children grow and your grandchildren mature. The beautiful environment around you, and the ability to see, smell, or touch rivers, mountains, snow, ice, and rain; an endless amount of food, and family, friends, and neighbours nearby. Don’t forget that all these things and more are free!
Chase your dreams: some will come true, some will not. You have many years left for positive choices. The mystery of life is not just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.
Be kind, caring, and available to your children and grandchildren. They are fellow adventurers, the same as you, living in the same space and time as you. They are all unique in their own way, and will one day make choices that are suitable to their time.
From the beginning of human existence on Earth, we all came here as a thought with the same beginning. We have survived as humans to evolve into what we are today, until time takes its toll and we return to space and time and again become a thought. The good thing about becoming a thought is it cannot be changed in any way, and will be around for eternity, having joined billions of others who have done the same since the beginning of time. We are here for a short time; make it worthwhile.
We must remember that all dreams are true adventures, and the most adventurous of all is the one we are living right here and now, called life.
In this universe, thought rules! It is the prime mover. It can tear down barriers or erect them. It can open doors or close them. It can build hope or dash dreams. It can make friends or enemies. It can produce wealth or poverty, health or illness.
However, our thoughts can do nothing until they are thought, which is where you come in. Remember, you get to think whatever you want, which puts you in the epicentre of this incredible miracle. Keep in mind that thoughts are things, and can come true because of your choices. Some do, and some don’t.
When days and miles divide us
The bonds we have still live inside us.
All of us have dreams, love, and laughter,
Family is for always and for ever after.
When you stumble and are lost
You must stay on the trail at all cost.
These are the orders from Mom and Dad
So it must not be all that bad.
Some presents are big, some presents are small,
But those from the heart are the best ones of all.
