Sunday, December 28, 2008.... the rush is over: work, continuing education, family gatherings, travel and Christmas.... I love this season, but am thrilled when it is done. I am always in a mood for "starting over" after Christmas... how lucky am I that the New Year is only a week away!?!

So this was a good Holiday season. I really love my family... there is a real gift of hospitality in them: to Jacksonville Fl for Thanksgiving: my mom & older sister are there... this year Katie (niece) & Gracie (grandniece) were there (oh yes, stopped by Charlotte on the way down @ Sa's in-laws); 12/20 to Virginia to my younger sister's: all 8 grandchildren there... yes 8! 12/24 to my niece's, brother Lee & his extended family there; then 12/25 to Charlotte to be with my son's in-laws, who have warmly adopted me.

I find I am in danger of dictating my itinerary.... not very interesting.

So on a different note: I am planning my 2009 Christmas knit gift list... yes, I always want to make Christmas gifts AFTER Christmas! This year I thought, how is it that I do a whole year of handcrafts & don't have them for gifts? Two reasons: 1) Once done, I want to give them away immediately, and 2) (the ugly truth) I don't get them completed! I get close, can tell how it's going to look, or have learned some techniques, then want to move on to something else. Can a horse change it's colors an old dog learn new tricks? Well these days there is all this talk about the brain continuing to grow & evolve even into the latter years... so let's just believe change is possible! My 2009 motto....

"We must never be blinded by the futile philosophy that we are just the hapless victims
of our inheritance,
of our life experience,
and of our surroundings - that these are the sole forces that make our decisions for us.
This is not the road to freedom.
We have to believe that we can really choose."

Grapevine, November 1960 excerpted from the book As Bill Sees It entry # 4.