17 Tuesday Dec 2019
Posted in Uncategorized
Hey all! My brother is coming into town on December 20, 2019 to hang out with the family. I’ll be shutting down from the 20th – 29th while he’s here to maximize time with him. I’ll be back up on the 30th, just in time to provide you my end-of-year autopsy and put out my goals for 2020.
I’ll announce this again on the 19th, but wanted to give you a head’s up.
Until next time…
Dave
14 Saturday Dec 2019
Posted in Bonus Content
Tags
Christmas, Gratitude, Holidays, Sacrifice, Separation, Service, Serving Abroad, Soldiers, Thanks
The Night Before Christmas
T’was the night before Christmas, he lived all alone in a one bedroom house, made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give, and to see just who in this home did live.
I looked all about, a strange sight I did see: no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the mantle, just boots filled with sand; on the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds, a sober thought came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary. I found the home of a soldier, at once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping; silent, alone, curled up on the floor, in this one bedroom home. Not how I pictured a US soldier.
Was this the hero of whom I’d just read, curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families that I saw this night, owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.
Soon ’round the world, the children would play and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas Day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month of the year, because of the soldiers like the one lying here.
I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye; I dropped to my knees and started to cry.
The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice, “Santa, don’t cry. This life is my choice.
I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more; my life is my God, my country, my corps.”
The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep; I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, so silent and still, and we both shivered from the cold night’s chill.
I didn’t want to leave on that cold, dark night, this guardian of honor, so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure, whispered, “Carry on Santa, it’s Christmas Day, all is secure.”
One look at my watch and I knew he was right, “Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night.”
Scrapbook.com I do not know who the original author of this is, but wanted to cite the website I found it on. If you, or someone knows who the original author is, please reply in the comments, I will edit this and replace it with the original copyright owner. I had to share this. It warms my heart every time I read it.
12 Thursday Dec 2019
Posted in Thankful Thursdays
Tags
Christmas, Coffee, family, Friends, Good Conversation, Good Food, Good times, Grateful, Holidays, Movies, Snow, Thankful, TV
Today, I’m thankful for the holiday season. I don’t really care about the gifts and such, but I enjoy relatives visiting, the Christmas lights, the tree, the snow, and all the food that comes this time of year.
This year my brother and sister are coming to town and it’ll be great. We’ll watch movies, talk as a family in the living room, eat out a few times, and maybe even catch a movie at our local movie theater. Then there’s the Christmas dinner, which will be Mom’s recipe for roasted duck! Yummy!!
Obviously, the gifts are fun, but I get a kick out of people opening my gifts, not so much the gifts I get. It’s nice to get people something you think they’ll like. It’s also fun to just enjoy the vibe of the family being together, reminiscing about times past.
I realize we should all be giving to one another all-year long, but because this time only comes once a year, it is special; you know?
I realize for some this is a traumatic time of year. It brings back memories of family members who have passed and the gaping hole they have left in the family. This is just tough and my heart goes out to all of you who are experiencing this. That being said, I would recommend throwing yourself into a charity or volunteering. I’ve always found that when I give of myself, my problems fade a bit. I know this is probably a simplistic solution to your problem, but I wanted to throw that out there, in case you have never tried it. It works. At least it does for me.
Well, that’s it for today. I hope all of you have a great Thursday!
Until next time…
Dave
24 Thursday Oct 2019
Posted in Thankful Thursdays
Tags
Christmas, Eating out, Exchanging Gifts, family, Friends, Good Food, Holidays, Movies, New Years, Thanksgiving
Today, I’m grateful for the holiday season that is fast approaching. My family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas. I used to be a big New Year’s Day fan, but frankly, my religious New Year occurs on the 23rd of October, so other than watching the ball drop on TV if I remember, it’s not that big of a deal.
I think the best part of the holiday season for me is the ability to just do whatever on these days, eat what I want (think potatoes, cranberry sauce, pies, cakes, and cookies), and hang out with family that comes to town.
This year, my Brother is coming to visit for Christmas. Mom and Dad are obviously excited about their middle son coming home, but so am I and my sister who is also going to be coming up to hang out with us. It’ll be a grand time!
During the times family comes home we gather in our home theater and watch movies, hang out in our living room over coffee in the morning, and go out to dinner once or twice during their stay to give Mom a break from cooking. If my brother comes, it guarantees us to get in some time on the Xbox.
What is so interesting about this venue is the ability to interact with so many people around the globe. What are the holidays you celebrate in your part of the world, and what do you do?
Post these in the comments below!
Have a great Thursday, everyone!
Until next time…
Dave
26 Wednesday Dec 2018
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags
Christmas, Contentment, Enjoyment, family, Friends, Joy, Love, Planning, reflection
Well, the family has gone home! It was a great two days, hanging out with my sister and her boyfriend. It was nice opening presents. It was awesome watching some movie favorites, like Raiders of the Lost Ark.
I enjoyed the holiday season this year because it was so great to revisit Phoenix and reconnect with friends and family there. It was also nice to come home and enjoy family, my Mom’s roast duck and all of the goodies I enjoy eating during the holidays.
Now it’s time to continue the celebration as we approach the New Year. This week, like the previous week will result in altered postings because I want to focus on the holidays and worry about the schedule again at the commencement of 2019.
I hope all of you had a great time with your families and friends and are looking to create the best year yet in 2019. I hope all of you have a safe and joyous New Year’s celebration.
All the best to you and your families during this precious time of the year.
Until next time…
Dave
24 Monday Dec 2018
Posted in Merry Christmas
I’ll forego my typical Motivation Monday posting to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! My sister and her boyfriend are on the way, Mom is in the kitchen preparing the meal, and Dad is reading the paper in his favorite rocking chair.
The family dog is where she always is, relaxing at the foot of my desk as I compose this posting.
As a retired veteran, I would be remiss if I forgot to wish all the men and women of our Armed Forces a Merry Christmas too! I was separated from family many times throughout my career and it was nice to hear from folks back home, wishing me well. One year, a judge from my hometown wrote me a letter, explaining that he had served in the Korean War and missed quite a few Christmas holidays with his family. His letter meant a lot to me, particularly since I was reading it from a guard post on Christmas Eve at the now-disassembled Spandau Prison in W. Berlin, guarding Rudolph Hess, one of the last minions of Hitler’s inner circle.
I also want to wish our first-responders a Merry Christmas. Many of them will be working tonight, while we are sleeping, to keep us safe. I hope all of you have a quiet night and get home safe and sound to celebrate the day with your families.
I hope all of you have the time to think about 2018 and all of the great things you’ve accomplished. I also hope you take some time to begin thinking about all of the great things that lay ahead for you in 2019.
Use this time to enjoy your families, your pets, and your friends. Recharge your batteries and get ready for a great year!
Until next time…
Dave
25 Monday Dec 2017
Posted in Christmas
Well, folks, we have come to the end of Christmas 2017. Merry Christmas to all of my friends and family who wished me a great Christmas on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and LinkedIn. It was a great Christmas for the Gardner Family and one I will remember for some time. I hope all of you had as great a day as I did. The above picture is my family (- my sister who was taking the picture) right before digging into a homemade feast of Goose, Mashed Potatoes, Squash, Cranberry Sauce, and Dressing!
I had a great time with my family, had some great food (courtesy my Mom), and just relaxed, enjoying the time we had together over the last few days. Tomorrow everyone will be back to work and the day-to-day buzz will drown out the solitude some of you may have experienced. For the remained of this month you’ll be getting prepared for New Year’s celebrations, tidy up last-minute details at work, coordinate your plans and get ready for the big “ball drop” day.
For the remainder of the year, I’ll be continuing my battery re-charge, coupled with a lot of reading and contemplating the goals I have for 2018. Some I am working on currently, others are yet to be discovered. My days will be filled with dreaming, contemplating, and planning. They’ll also be filled with watching the DVDs my Dad and I got, reading some of the books I got, spending time with Mom and Dad working on one of the two jigsaw puzzles we received, and maybe, just maybe, playing a little of the Xbox game my niece sent me. It’ll be a great time!
Recently, I reconnected with a friend. This guy served with me in the Berlin Brigade (West Germany before unification). He reached out to me on Facebook “out of the blue” and it’s like we were never apart. Obviously, we both have a little grayer in the temples and beards than we did “way back when”, but he’s the same guy that used to kick my butt in chess on a daily basis. That was a special “Christmas” present that was totally unexpected. I’ll be spending some time with him over the next week as well.
Wherever you are, a new year brings hope for better times, working on new habits and getting rid of some bad ones. The new year brings new experiences, new jobs, getting married, having babies, making new friends, graduating from college, and so many more wonderful things. It’s doctor, dentist, and optometrist appointments, it’s grocery shopping, it’s a new promotion, it’s moving on to a new job. Perhaps your new year will bring moving to a new place and start over or donate time to your favorite charity. The new year presents endless possibilities, waiting to be discovered.
Enjoy the last few days of 2017.
Prepare for 2018.
Love one another. Cherish your friends. Appreciate the place you call home, your family, your pets, and all of the wonderful things in your life. Be grateful for the blessings that this life brings. Be grateful for the laughter, even the tears. Be grateful for the God-given talents you have and the ones that are waiting for you to uncover. Be grateful.
As we wind down 2017, I am grateful to you, my readers. I wish all of you the very best over the last few years of 2017. I hope you attain even greater heights of love and happiness in 2018.
For those of you that are having a tough time right now, remember to cherish even the smallest things. Life will get better for you. Life always does. During these times of trouble, be patient. Trouble will pass and good times will return. Make an extra effort to give of yourself during these troubled times. You’ll find that your giving will be returned in one way or another.
I’ll post again on New Year’s Day. I’ll see you then.
Until next time…
Dave
12 Tuesday Dec 2017
Posted in Holidays
Tags
Christmas, family, Friends, Good Food, Good times, New Year's Day
Today, I wanted to digress from a daily quote and talk about time with the family. I love the holiday season. It’s a time when employers offer very loose PTO schedules. It is also a time when most companies are slowing down a bit to begin preparing for the first quarter of the new year.
Today we went Christmas shopping and had a great time. We went to a few places and had some pizza for a snack mid-way through our many stops. I really enjoy the time I get with the family and hope you get some time with your families as well.
My sister and her boyfriend are swinging by on Christmas Eve and will stay through until the day after Christmas. I can’t wait! It will be a time of great food, a lot of laughing, and even playing some ancient board games that we all love.
I hope each of you has an opportunity to really enjoy your loved ones, share some gifts with one another, and eat some great food together. I’ll be offering some more things on this topic later in the month as we approach Christmas.
Until next time…
Dave
