A New Year and a New Beginning - Day 1

Today officially began a New Year and I feel in my heart that I need to start a new round of 29 Gifts.  Although I have continued to give each day, I have found myself drilfting into old habits and not giving as intentionally or with as positive an attitude in recent months.  My goal for 2013 is to be happier and more content by doing whatever I can to add to the happiness and well being of others and to truly appreciate the many gifts and blessings that I receive each day.  I have found that committing to the 29 gifts challenge and blogging about my journey on a regular basis keeps me much more centered and focused on these goals.

This morning dawned a cold but beautiful sunny day which is a wonderful gift in the Pacific Northwest especially this time of year.  We spent the day sharing fun and excitement with the members of our Model A Ford Club and several other classic / antique auto clubs on a tour on backroads through our beautiful area.  The tour ended at a Pizza place which had opened exclusively for our group.  While there, a few of us paid for four large pizzas to be delivered to our local fire / police station to thank those who do so much to ensure our safety.

When I arrived home, I checked my email and found a very sad message from a member of a group I had belonged to many years ago.  The son of another member of this group committed suicide this morning.  Even though I was no longer in contact with this group, I had heard a while back that this young man had been injured in Iraq (or Afghanastan) and was struggling with many aspects of his personal life.  Apparently the struggle became too much for him to handle. 

 I have written the parents a sylmpathy card which I will mail tomorrow but I know that I need to do more to keep this sad story from happening to others. I am researching ways to help our service members and their families readjust to life after war. My heart and prayers go out to this family and to all families who are suffering losses tonight.

 Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
-- Albert Einstein