Friday, January 1, 2010

...and a Happy New Year!

Good morning, and Happy New Year everyone!

Well, the stickpeople are all up and about this morning, after staying up a bit late last night. We enjoyed a couple of games of "Scrabble" with Stickson and Stickdaughter while waiting the New Year in. Good times! It isn't all that often that we take time to take time together, so it was nice to end the year as we did.

I "cleverly" sent out an e-mail to a bunch of folks, the content being a "countdown", ending with a "Happy New Year!". I recieved a response from Niece, Dee, about an hour later, that stated that she had to wait yet another hour! ...those pesky timezones!

I had been eagerly awaiting the "Blue Moon". I don't know why, I just was. Perhaps it was because the last couple of nights, the moons were resplendent in their near-fullness. Also, we wouldn't see another Blue Moon on New Years' Eve for quite a while. I found these following facts to be interesting...

"New Year's blue moon won't happen again until 2028."

"A blue moon isn't all that rare. The moon is fully illuminated every 29.5 days, or about 12.4 times per year. To squeeze in that tiny lunar remainder, a blue moon has to happen every 2.7 years. Some years even have bonus blue moons, like in 1999, when calendrical anomalies leave February without a full moon. For those marking their calenders, the next blue moon will happen in August 2012."

"The last time a decade ended on a blue moon, Napoleon Bonaparte was Saint Helena's most famous resident in 1819."

Brent Wittmeier, Edmonton Journal

...Thanks, Mr. Wittmeier, for the info! Unfortunately, when I peered out the window, all that could be seen was snow. Looks like we're in for a good storm, extending for a couple of days or so. ("yay!", with all lower-case...) I can hardly wait to get out there and shovel snow!

But, as you know, it's all about perspective. How one views it depends on if they are holding a shovel or ski poles, trudging through two or three feet of snow to find the car, or taking a trek on snowshoes out on some back trail to find the beauty of God's creation. ...I just might wear my snowshoes while I "shovel out" later, see if it makes me feel better about all that snow...

Did any of you make any New Year's Resolutions? I chose not to... Today, however, I am a bit reflective. We have lost some folks, and will miss them dearly. I will make every effort to honor their lives, by cherishing memories of them. We have gained some folks, and will enjoy watching these little ones grow! I look back on the events and non-events of the past year, and have to be a little careful about my view. I can look at the "Should have's" and "Could have's" that I "Didn't", with regret, or the "could's and would's" that I did. ...besides, some of those could's SHOULD have been left undone! There is a big difference between a "Could" and a "Should"! This year there may even be a few "Can" and "Will"'s sprinkled in.

We were kept a little busy with the ScriptureStick Ministry. Thank you all for the orders for sticks, words of encouragement, sharing of stories, for giving. We've been lifted up by all of you, and pray that the ministry will be a benefit and a blessing to those it touches. We had a few opportunities to reach out and assist a few hikers, giving rides from trailhead to town, and vice versa. We found new friends on the trail, too! We we're blessed to assist Bark and Berry, (Joel and Cortney), a young, newly married couple, who hiked the AT as Trail Chaplains for ATServants. (Be SURE to check out "ATServants" online!)...AWESOME ministry!

We were also able to "Gift" and donate many ScriptureSticks to folks this past year, and thank all of you that purchased sticks (and supported us in other ways) for that! We realize that we are not in this ministry alone, and want you all to know that we appreciate your part in it. We're hoping and PRAYING that this year will be an even busier year for us, and with your continued helps, it will be!

Gotta go, lot's of snow! Happy New Year, and God Bless!

Stickman