Goodbye 2012

Have you ever heard a comment that bothered you?  I did recently.  I was out doing some last minute Christmas shopping (okay, all my Christmas shopping was last minute) when I ran into a friend of mine.  He is twenty plus years younger than me, has a great wife, a cute little daughter, and a good job.  We talked about shopping, both of us hate it.  We talked about family, friends, and his job. 

Then I said, “It’s hard to believe it’s almost the end of 2012.”

He looked at me and said in a serious voice, “That’s okay. It’s been a ho-hum year.”

He must have read the expression on my face because he continued talking, “Oh, it wasn’t a bad year, nothing bad happened.  But it wasn’t a good year either. Nothing note worthy happened this year.”

That last sentence, “Nothing note worthy happened this year” caught me off guard and truthfully bothered me for several days.

As I look back on 2012, I’ve come to discover it is the “little” things that really stand out.  They are the things that made me the happiest.  Here are a few of them:

First and foremost is my wife, Char.  Enough cannot be said here so I am not even going to try.  But a few simple examples are when you help Santa deliver pre-Christmas presents on a cold winter morning then crawl back into bed and place a cold hand on the small of her back and she wakes up immediately you know you're ‘somewhat’ lucky.  Or when she tells you someone needs a kid’s friendly meal and asks you to make it – you know you are lucky. Or when she gives a Dutch oven which you wouldn’t exchange for the winning lottery ticket – you know you are lucky.  Or when she wants to celebrate our anniversary at a local restaurant  – you are proud and know you are lucky.  Or when you see the time and effort she puts into her volunteer efforts - you know you and others are lucky. And the list could go on and on and . . .

My son, who is three states away, will call just to chat.  Neither of us have anything really important to say we just want to talk.

My daughter, who since she has moved back to town, makes an effort to come over and have Sunday dinner with her aging Grandmother.

A daughter in law who I talk to every other day just to hear her laugh.  Knowing full well her and I have talked about things most father in laws and daughter in laws will never talk about.

A son in law who will stop by to fix the internet or the TV when I screwed it up.  He can do in five minutes what would take me a week to figure out.  Sitting up my new printer is a prime example.

A daughter and daughter in law who sends me pictures which always brings a smile to my face.

A Granddaughter who is in college and seems to be enjoying it. Her major is culinary arts and she is doing a great job.  Her meal at Christmas time was a big hit.

A Grandson who enjoys being outside and who sells me Halloween Whoppers with a reasonable mark up.  And who, although he is a person of few words, always talks to me on the phone.

A young Granddaughter, who says, “Hi BaPa. I wuv you” when I walk into the house.

Or, you have friends like Cliff and Marilyn who you call and tell them that you will be passing through and was wondering if you could spend a night or two at their house only to have them say in a somewhat disgusted voice, “Well, you KNOW you can.”  Yeah, I knew it – just thought it would polite to ask.

Or watching a three year old open up several packets of gum on his birthday because he is now old enough to chew gum.

Or having a 96 year old lady tell you she absolutely loves your strawberry shortcake during cooking group at the nursing home.

Or golf partners who celebrate your good shots while ignoring your bad ones.

Or friends who drop in at dinner time knowing there will be enough food to go around.

And the list goes on.

No, it wasn’t a ho-hum year.  It was a great year.  It was the “little things” that made 2012 a year to remember.  We need to celebrate the little things – they are what make up the majority of our life.

I hope 2013 holds more of the same for me and for you.

Happy New Year.