personal reflection

December 31, 2025.

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Before the year slips quietly into memory, I pause—coffee in hand—to remember what went right.

2025 says adios. 2026 waits patiently at the door.

Every year on December 31, I go to my favorite coffee shop with a notebook and a pen—no technology allowed for this project. I order my coffee, find a quiet table, and begin remembering all the good things that happened during the year. One by one, I write them down in cursive, numbering each entry.

It was easier when my wife was alive. We would brainstorm together, and there was a beautiful synergy between us—one memory sparking another, light calling forth more light. I still remember the good moments easily, but now the process is a bit slower. And that’s okay.

Here’s the surprising part: as I write, a huge smile spreads across my face and stays there the entire time. I imagine other coffee shop patrons wondering if they can get whatever the barista put in my drink. (LOL.)

This little ritual serves another purpose. During the coming year, when things don’t go the way I hoped, I return to that gratitude list. It reminds me—again and again—that things have worked out before, and they will work out again.

Happy New Year to you—and to all those you love.

Something to Think About

What might change in your life if you ended the year by writing down everything that went right?

Happy New Year to You and All those You Love.

Smiling for the Cameras: What a Bird Feeder Taught Me About Today’s World

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What if a tiny bird feeder—and a clever squirrel—could reveal how much our world has changed?

I have a bird feeder with a camera attached to it. The camera connects to my iPhone and I can watch the bird eating at the feeder or download their images and share them with others. the birds don’t know that I’m watching them. A neighborhood squirrel has found the feeder. He figured a way to get past the safeguards that the feeder has. I enjoyed watching him figure it out..We are much like the birds who come to my feeder. There are so many security cameras around constantly monitoring us. We don’t pay attention to them because they are placed obtrusively in our environment. Where I use my bird feeder camera for entertainment the security cameras monitor our behavior. It wasn’t this way when I was growing up. There was little need for security cameras. It made me wonder what changed with human beings that we need cameras to monitor our behavior. The world I grew up in is long gone. If someone wants to monitor my behavior I’ll walk around with a smile to brighten their day.

How do you feel about living in a world where cameras are everywhere—does it comfort you, bother you, or simply fade into the background?

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” — Walt Whitman

Rediscover What Truly Matters: Lessons from Confucius on Wealth, Fame, and the Heart

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We chase what glitters—money, status, recognition—but when life narrows to its essence, only love, family, and health remain.

What’s really important to you? Everyone has a different view of what’s important. What is important to us changes with the weather. Importance is a transient thing . If we dive a lot deeper we’ll get to the bedrock of what is important in a human life. We’ discover that health and family jump to the top of the list. When my wife was dying she didn’t talk about our 401K accounts, she wanted my daughters and me around her. Confucius offered us this wisdom, “Of course you want to be rich and famous. It’s natural. Wealth and fame are what every man desires. The question is: What are you willing to trade for it?” It’s fine to go for th ephemeral stuff but never neglect what is critically important.

When you strip away the noise and distractions, what remains at the core of what truly matters in your life?

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