"We will open the book. It's pages are BLANK. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called OPPORTUNITY and its first chapter begins NEW YEARS DAY."
New Years Day is refreshing, isn't it? It is a time to reflect upon the days of the past year and look forward to the new year with HOPE, a time to feel grateful for being here upon this earth for another year, a time to feel joyful for another opportunity to make forward progress and forget, or gracefully accept, past mistakes.
In the new year I'm looking forward to expanding my genealogy circle here. I've been browsing or "snooping" other blogs and genealogy pages quite a bit since beginning my family history blog last month. The information and genealogy resources available on the web these days is phenomenal! I wish I had started a family history blog much sooner but I didn't realize until recently the surprising number of people who share their family research and resources online. There are some wonderful blogs filled with tons of helpful information, as well as amazing stories of their own ancestral discoveries. I have enjoyed reading post after post as I've browsed through their stories of triumphs and defeats while searching their family's roots. I feel greatly encouraged toward making progress in my own family research :) I also want to shout out a big "THANK YOU" to those who have put such a great effort into helping others with genealogy research!
My husband and I have enjoyed spending the New Years weekend with my daughter Crissy and her family in Tupelo, Mississippi. We have been blessed by being in the midst of love, plentiful laughter and lots of good food! I have enjoyed watching my grandsons Matthew and Nathan playing with their new Christmas gifts while occasionally getting into a little trouble- they are typical boys, and as such, they can become just a tad bit hostile with each other. Nathan, the 2 year old, is constantly on the go and enjoys evoking an emotional response from his older brother. I just smile and silently thank God that I've been there, done that and now I'm through *laughs*. Here's a couple pics of them:
Matthew is always ready to SMILE for a pic :)
Nathan, on the other hand, doesn't like to cooperate with pics.
He and I were playing "peek-a-boo" and I snapped this photo at about the right time (pretty sly, huh?)
Today is a "first" for me. I'm going to break family tradition. What????!!!!! Yes, I'm going to break tradition by NOT eating our usual New Years dinner of cabbage, black-eye peas, pork and cornbread. Mom used to encourage me, saying it was necessary to eat this traditional dinner for MONEY or FINANCIAL GAIN (green=cabbage), GOOD LUCK (black-eye peas), and PROGRESS (pork, usually ham hocks or a pork roast). Most of the time I just shared the meal with Mom to make her happy, and besides that, I really do love a good country meal sometimes. But- the part about the money, good luck and progress has been questioned numerous times throughout the years, lol!
Finally, I want to share the following message for the new year:
At the sound of the tolling midnight bell,
a brand new year will begin.
Let's raise our hopes in a confident toast
to the promise it ushers in.
May your battles be few, your pleasures many,
your wishes and dreams fulfilled,
May your confidence stand in the face of loss
and give you the strength to rebuild.
May peace of heart fill all your days,
may serenity grace your soul,
May tranquil moments bless your life
and keep your spirit whole.
Author Unknown
I hope everyone has a SAFE and JOYOUS New Years Day!!!
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