Written December 28, 2024
I am so grateful for the Christmas day our family enjoyed and the Christmas season we are enjoying. Those who are Believers, I hope you had a great Christmas day and season.
January 1, 2025 will be the beginning of my 60th year living on our earth. There is something about round numbers. 60. Not 59 or 61, but 60. The following is “verbal-processing” (Thanks Pastor Mark for that phrase) what I and many others are thinking about when they get to the 60th year.
Lots of good-byes: Some Permanent and Some Hopefully Not Permanent
The longer I live, the more good-byes I experience. My mom, aunt, and Greg who was a major masculine presence in my life. My dad. The last time I saw my dad was when I was seven (January 6, 1973). Yet, he is my dad and there was a “good-bye.” And other family members, friends, former students, and mentors. Let alone, celebrities and athletes. Reminds me that our time on this planet is relatively short. However, I am on my way to Heaven and I am stopping by ready to pick-up anyone who wants to join me 🙂 And of course, “Good-Byes” to friendships and leaving jobs. 🙁 🙁
My marriage / family!
Been married since March 30, 1991. All that happens in a 30+ year marriage. At the time of writing this = 12,327 days being married to Diana!! 100% confident that only God and Diana’s patience have helped keep our marriage together. I know there have been at least 2,465 days (20%) where Diana and I had to fight and defend our marriage. I am grateful for so many wonderful days / events in those 12,000+ days: birth of children / seeing them graduate from high school and University of Idaho / seeing our son and daughter be married (Katy’s wedding is coming up this year) / birth of grandchildren and so much more and so much to come!!
My Career
My first music teaching job was teaching elementary school band in Santa Cruz, CA. That was January 1989. Therefore, this January will mark my 36th year teaching music in schools. Following my choice to be a better more faithful Christian and actually being told by an administrator, “keep Jesus Christ in the parking lot,” I resigned early from teaching full-time public school in California. I am blessed to teach music (band) at a Charter School in Lincoln, CA. Because I still love to teach, I love my current scholars and they help me enjoy what I love! It is an honor, especially at my age and number of years of career, to still be able to teach; in California, none-the-less!! Many roses in my career with a handful of thorns.
The Political Roller Coaster
So strange to think, when I was born in California, it was a conservative state and now? How about the presidents: LBJ, Nixon, Ford, Carter, REAGAN, Bush, Clinton, Obama, Trump, Biden, Trump. Yes! Definitely a roller coaster. To go from just an average dude (white, happily married to a woman, father of two, grandfather of three, Christian moderately conservative, enjoy much success teaching) who was the typical role model for my students (male and female) to now “enemy number one” has been painful and weird. From the Civil Rights Era to a new era of racism / bigotry (choosing people for a job in private or public sector based on gender / ethnicity / race = DEI) shows that humans don’t evolve. They just adapt. We will always have racism. Doesn’t matter if you are straight, gay, white / non-white, humans want power. When they see an opportunity to have power over other humans, they seize it.
My Walk With Jesus Christ
I remember the first time I went to church as a child was to earn a Merit Badge for the Boy Scouts of America (now? that organization is frowned upon). The next time I was influenced by the Christian faith was when I was in high school. I was working at Carmel Drug Store in Carmel, CA. There was a lady in her 20s who would bring her Bible to work. This was in the mid-1980s. When we worked together, she would share with me her understanding of the Bible. Then, it was 1985 at the University of the Pacific when I became a Catholic. I am so grateful to have had this wonderful growth with my Savior, Jesus Christ and appreciate all HE has done for me and will do for me. The countless days since the early days? It’s probably time to be baptized once again!! AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES TO KNOW THE POWER OF JESUS CHRIST!!
I could go on…
My message to anyone reading this at any age, don’t take a new year for granted, even if you are one of my scholars (4th-8th grade) and you think you will have another 60-80 “New Years” ahead of you. One of my favorite sayings is, “I don’t know how long I have to live, but I do know how and what I do with that time is my gift to God.” Make the most of each day you have. Yes. My soon to be 21,550th day-to-be-alive reminds me there have been good and bad days. Let’s use the 80-20 principle. There have been at least 4,310 days that have been bad-to-down-right-AWFUL. But, my goodness! That means there have been at least 17,240 days that have been average-to-great!
For 2025, I encourage you and me to know: thanks in part to being Believers and living in a Judeo-Christian (NOT A THEORCRACY – TAKE A BREATH / CALM DOWN!), we have more opportunities to have great days ahead of us! HAPPY 2025!! It’s great to be alive!