As the new year begins, I had to share an article from the newsletter I received from our newspaper delivery lady at Christmastime. I feel it is most appropriate for now or anytime.
Here it is:
Whew! Money, money, money. So much talk about it, need for it and lack of it these past couple of years! Here's a different "take" on it: The article touched my very core.
With money you can buy a house but not a home.
With money you can buy a clock but not time.
With money you can buy a bed but not sleep.
With money you can buy a book but not knowledge.
With money you can see a doctor but not health.
With money you can buy a position but not respect.
With money you can buy sex but not love.
"In the end it's not the years in your life that counts it's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln

I don't know about the rest of you, but I spend a lot of time thinking about my family especially because all but one live distances away. I wonder if we mean as much to them as they do to us.
Well, today (Christmas day) I found out at least from our oldest one that we do. And it didn't come in the form of a gift, but a memory.
When the four children were little and we sent them to bed on Christmas eve you could always hear the whispers coming from their bedrooms. To quiet them, my husband would tap the side of our crystal glasses and say "quiet down" the bell ringers are coming and you have to be quiet or Santa may not come.
After several tappings the four usually fell asleep and the two of us would get to work putting the presents under the tree.
That brings me back to my first sentence. Our oldest daughter sent a Facebook message about the bell ringers and her memories. Tears flowed not only from me but from my so-called hard-hearted husband.
This was the best Christmas gift we could have gotten and it didn't cost a thing.
Memories are forever.

Here I am in sunny Florida. Ha! Sunny, yes, warm no! We have been here for a week today and in that time the sun has shown six of the seven days. But the temps have hovered in the low 50s and even lower during the night.
Last night we turned on the heat for the second time in 20 years of owning this condo in Jupiter. We're promised warmer weather soon.
Who said there was global warming? If there is I'd like a little of it, please.
But no one around here has forgotten the season. Everyone decorates and some neighborhoods try to outdo one another. On most street corners are live Christmas trees for sale. I know it's cold, but how do they prevent shedding when it warms up.
Last year was cool, too. If it doesn't change soon I'm going to rethink my winter stay to somewhere else that might offer me swimming weather.
Our condo association was to start pool aerobics this season. I was all set, new bathing and all. I know its only Dec. 14th, but I'm raring to go.
Instead I'll do what I did yesterday, make cookies. But if I keep making them I won't fit into the new bathing suit and it won't matter if it warms up.
I'll keep you posted or maybe I'll find a better hobby than baking cookies. But my neighbors like them and so does my husband, who would never take pool aerobics, anyway.

While my husband and I are in Florida, our neighbor, who tends to our house while we're away, is going to paint our living room, dining room and two hallways.
It will be so nice to come home to fresh coats of paint and new colors that we had "loud" discussions over before we made up our minds.
But getting ready beforehand was a chore. It meant taking down every painting; removing everything breakable such as the crystal wine glasses from the breakfront and finding a place for it all.
In the meantime, there was another big chore - packing ahead of time so everything would be ready for the person driving our car. We leave some clothes down there, but there are enough newer things I like to take.
My husband is so organized, that sometimes I think he's the only one who knows how to do anything. Wrong! When the car is packed and ready to go, I say "see I told you I'd be ready." So what if I forgot my toothbrush. I'll buy a new one.
Remember we are both in our Golden Years and we don't move as swiftly as we used to, but we manage. And once we are there we forget what a chore it was getting ready.
I have had so many young people say "you're so lucky to be able to spend the winters in Florida." I know I am, but I always remind them I had to wait until there was plenty of snow around the hairline before we were able to go.
I know I will miss home, but not the cold weather or the other nasty stuff. When I can break away from doing my pool aerobics or dining out with lots of other Saratoga friends who live nearby, I'll send a blog or two about what we're up to in (hopefully) sunny and warm Florida.