Rather than “happy,” I decided to go with “stupendous” in my new year’s wish. I truly hope you all have the best year of your lives. In our quest to make every day the best it can be, my wife Trisha and I know that it can be quite challenging at times. By it’s very nature, no matter how much we try to control it, life is one long rollercoaster ride. 

The other day someone I hadn’t seen in a while asked me “How have you been?”  I actually had to pause before I answered because my mind was racing though all the ups and downs life had presented me this year. I suppose I could have said, “Same old, same old,” but the question really put me in a philosophic mode.

In just over a year, my wife and I were blessed with three new grandchildren, had our book published, had fun doing television and radio interviews, were invited to do book signings and personal appearances, nearly lost my best friend to a terrible accident, had a great vacation with some dear friends, traveled with my parents, suffered the loss of my father, had an incredible travel adventure, and worried over my mother’s recent stroke. These are just the major highlights and low lights of the last year, not including the day-to-day issues and dramas that presented themselves.

That last paragraph simply stated is: life. The key is to fill our hearts with as much love as we can, greet each day with joy and thankfulness for the gift of life, and give as much of our hearts to others as we can we possibly share. In this next year, it’s a given we will all smile at some point and in turn shed a tear. How many times can we be the one responsible for the smiles on the faces of others? A very worthy goal for the new year.

Have a stupendous new year!