The Holiday Wrap Up

Happy New Year!
Back safe and healthy in Atlanta. I managed to dodge the great West Virginia Stomach Bug Plague. Stacey went down, my parents went down, my sister and brother in law went down, aunts and uncles went down, cousins went down, etc. It was ugly. The bug wouldn't last that long, but it kept hitting people one after another. I spent most of my time walking around with hand sanitizer in my pocket and chlorox wipes easily accessible.

Aside from the sickness, it was a great visit. There was a lot of storytelling and nostalgia in the air. There was a lot of laughter. It made for a very meaningful time. More and more Christmas visits to WV become cherished times to remember things you forget about during the rest of the year. It becomes a time to pass traditions to younger generations.

It also has become the time to get together and play guitar hero. Stacey and I received the deluxe package which includes drums and a microphone. That made for some entertaining moments as various family members attempted to sing while other family members attempted to show rhythm and button pushing competence.

Finally, I had the opportunity to film my mom's parents telling stories from their years of growing up on farms in the midwest. The part that I appreciated the most was hearing how hard they worked for what they had. Somewhere along the way, good old work ethic and contentment has been lost in favor of credit and instant gratification. They had limited food, clothes and toys, but they had want they needed and everything was good. Credit has given us the freedom to live way beyond our means. Only hearing these stories can give one a true appreciation for how good we have it now.

My Grandfather in particular talked about helping people in need around the community. It wasn't through a non-profit or charity. It was seeing need in the community and addressing it. Non-profits are great, but we've really lost a sense of looking out for our neighbors in general. Its become easy to let the "professionals" or government deal with those problems. Right wrong or indifferent, it gave me some interesting thoughts to ponder on the trip home.

Here's to 2009 and continued storytelling.

Phil