2008 is Gonna Be Great!

Well, here we are in 2008 and too be honest I am none too sad to say goodbye to 2007. It was a difficult year health wise and it brought A LOT of change: a new job for Dan, a new house and neighborhood, and some family losses - Elsie and Walter.

But, be that as it may, blessings come in packages you don't expect. I plan to cherish every minute of every day with my kids and family and friends: good, bad, or indifferent.

A friend sent these words of wisdom from the Dahli Lama. I'll share them with you as they seem to make common and simple sense to me.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements
involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R’s:
Respect for self,
Respect for others and
Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a
wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate
steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for
your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the
current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your
love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order
to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

I'll leave this post with some pix from winter and Christmas! Enjoy!

Peace in 2008.