Year End/Start Poem

The Night is Young
     The Day is Old
The Year is Over
     Or So I'm Told

The Day is Young
     The Night is Old
It's An Age Old Story
     That must be Told

We End One Year
     We Start Another
What is the Difference
     One Day Into Another

Each Day is New
     Each Day is Old
We Grow Each Day
     One More Day Old

Each moment is New
     There and Here
Live Where you Are    
     Live Here

Enjoy Each Moment that This New Year gives
Each Moment that each New Day gives

Happy New Year Everyone!

Being Meaningful

I was just thinking how some people go through life doing nothing but the bare minimum.  Others go out of there way trying to do more than the rest and still others ride somewhere in the middle.

I was a bare minimum person and little by little over the past year or so I have been opening up.  Trying to ride in the middle, where life is what you make of it.  Not trying to do so much that I can't do it.  Not trying to do just the bare minimum (passing grade), but trying to live life and not just survive it to the end.

I think that what I want to do is actually set some goals that I feel I can attain in the next year.  Not a list, not a set of resolutions either.  Just things that I want to do.  I will tell you that one goal is to start my masters degree.  I am not sure when I will be able to work on that since I missed the deadline for application, and am still awaiting a status on financial aid.  Also waiting for the school to open after the holidays to see if I can still attend and just take a course for the spring semester.  If not I will have to apply for the Fall and just wait.

But this is the trick.  I don't want to try and live my life by this list any more than I would normally try to force myself to do something.  I want to do more with my life and see what I can accomplish, while at the same time allowing God to lead me down different roads.  I think that having some goals in front of you is good.  It gives you something to strive for instead of just getting by.

We saw "A Meaningful Life" yesterday.  Yes, I said "A Meaningful Life".  It is a new video by Veggie Tales.  It was very meaningful, if you will pardon the pun, it made me think about trains and life more.  I like to think, it is fun.  I thought how each day is new, yesterday is just a memory, and tomorrow has not happened yet.  But all we have is the day, the moment.  The choices we make, the events that happen to us, the people we talk to, all of that influences us.  It changes us in little ways and it changes others too.  Each one of us affects others and that makes each day special.  Even the little things that we do, teaching, helping, learning, reading, listening, it all matters, it is all important and all of it equally so.

I have a plan.  I am going to set some goals and see how they come out during the year and at the end of the year.  I will share a few, but not all.  This is kind of personal and I just want to be open about setting goals, but not share everything.  So in the mean time I cam going to live my life and try not to just survive it.

I will see what I can come up for a Hammered Dulcimer goal.  I would like to set one for that area of my life too.  Well enjoy your life and see you later.

Stories of Life. . . .

Stories are fascinating.  Stories are interesting.  Stories are cool.  Every night we read a part of a story to our son.  Sometimes he reads a part of a story to us.  We take turns reading different books.  When one book is done it is someone elses turn to read a book and around it goes.  I enjoy stories and sometimes I even enjoy making them up.

Now I saw this building for the first time earlier this week on my way home.  I had decided to take a detour and go home a slightly different way, at least for part of the trip.  See how a story can get interesting right away.  Where was I, oh yeah.  This building that I took a picture of.

I wonder how long ago it was now.  It must be over 50 years ago that the tree burned down that was there.  Struck by lightning it was.  It burnt down and the owner had the stump taken out and it left a big hole.  The hole was a good 10 feet around.  The owner missed that tree.  His name was Andrew.  He decided to fill in the hole and build a shed.  The shed has been up ever since.  It has stood there collecting snow and creatures.  Did you know that under the shed, in the hole that the tree once stood in, there lived a mouse, a gopher and a whole slew of crickets.  After the shed got build on the filled in hole they came out and looked around.  The decided to move in to the shed, but that was not going to be happening any time soon.  Andrew had put windows and a door, but not one that animals could open.  And besides the shed had tools and other odds and ends.  Where would animals live in a place filled with tools and odds and ends for keeping land clear?  Not a very likely home.  So they decided to wait and found new homes under and around the shed.

More to come. . . .

School Days

How can you justify coming to school on a day like this.  It is coming down all day and there was an accident with three cars and a semi about 2 blocks from the school.  We could have at least had a 2 hour delay.  I would so rather be at home right now than at work, but I can't go anywhere till the end of the day.  At least I am warm.

Oh well, could be worse.  I could be out in the weather or have had a car wreck too.  I am safe and sound and warm.  Just waiting till I can go home, later.

UPDATE: It is almost Noon and it is not doing anything outside.

Training class

A light snow fall.....so far.

I am sitting in a training session that is from 9-3 today.  We are just on break and I ate my lunch and came back early.  It was a short lunch.  It has been snowing here for about 2 hours and here is a little picture outside the window of our room.  I would rather be home.  Monday's are so difficult.  I enjoy the weekend with my family and then have to go back into work on Monday.  No fun.  But at least I get to spend time with my family each night and every weekend.  I feel sad for people that don't have that opportunity.  I value my family and the time I get to spend with them.

Cold.....Brrrrrr...

It was 9 degrees this morning when I got up and left for work at 6:00 am.

That is cold.  We don't usually have this much snow, we have had about 4 - 6 inches so far, and not this cold either.

I am not looking forward to seeing how cold it gets later, if it is getting this cold now.

First Real Snow....

From the School I work at with my new camera.

Our first real snow has fallen this week.  Actually it has fallen all week so far.  We are expecting a White Christmas this year.  Usually we have nothing or just a light falling, but since the 27th of November we have been seeing snow on and off and just recently it has been coming.  Here it is not as much as at home, but it looks nice.  Enjoy!