Frozen memories

COLD COLD COLD here in Texas today (only about 20 degrees) and it is supposed to stay that way for the next few days to come - colder than it has been in about 10 years. I'm not complaining - and I know how cold it has been up in Minneapolis this year (stay warm & dry family!) - but this type of weather really reminds me of growing up in Minnesota. Great memories of playing outdoors in the snow when I was young, building snow forts in the drifts, and even jumping off the garage roof into the plowed snow piles next to the garage. I remember stepping outside in the mornings to head to the school bus stop, and almost "feel" the ice crystals lingering in the air, and you could almost smell the crispness of the frozen lake nearby. Feels a little bit like that this morning - and it's good.

Live a life that matters

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. CHOOSE TO LIVE A LIFE THAT MATTERS!

Where did the time go????

The Holiday's really flew by this year - lots of time spent preparing baked goodies, shopping for Christmas gifts, good times with friends and family and having house guests ;-) Whew... I have to say I'm tired - and glad for a New Year and a fresh start.

I don't usually make formal resolutions - I never seem to carry through with them - but I do have ideas for making this coming year better than the last. Here's to everyone I know having success, good health and happiness in 2010 ;-)