Karma, Dad or Just Some Bad Germs?

My mother got sick the night before New Year's Eve. Whine, whine, blah, blah. Yeah, that is what I thought until three days later when yours truly gets hit by it too! Followed by beloved son a day or two later. Which lead me to ponder: Was this some Karma hint from my Dad telling me to lay off my mom??

We tend to all lay responsibility for whatever happens in our life at Dad's feet. If something glorious happens, like beloved son winning trip to Ireland, everyone says "Gramps was working on that one" or "Your dad did that". If there is an unusual sound or something unexpected we hear "Glenn must be here". Now I am NOT denying that I think it myself. Because my Dad ALWAYS took care of us. And it if comforting to really believe that he is always around in some way. But when I found myself thinking that Dad was putting a Karma thump on my head and making me sick to show me a lesson, I decided maybe I better take responsibility for some things myself.

So yes when I woke up with ghastly plague I soon became much more aware of how easily I brushed my mother off when she said she was sicker than she had ever been. Maybe it was Karma showing me the error of my ways and telling me to be a better person in 2009. But maybe it was just germs that we picked up around town because our neighbor got it too! I don't think that Dad would "Karma" over to mom's dear friend and lay a horrid virus on her to teach her to be a better person in this new year.

So in 2009 I will try to be a better person, a kinder person, a more gentle person. Karma? Well, who wants to take a chance? Maybe there is a lot to this Karma thing. And maybe Dad really is hanging around making sure everyone is doing their job. Maybe he is up in heaven making some great things happen and guiding us the way he always did. And maybe down here he makes a little noise so we know he is enjoying our lives and watching us.

All I know is that when people are sick you should be kind to them because when you are sick you will want the same from them. When people struggle give them a hand. When good things happen it is good to remember those you love even if they are no longer physically there.

See Karma I am trying!! oh and thanks Dad, for Ryan's trip to Ireland!

2009 There Is Always Hope

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. That was a popular quote back in the 70's but it really speaks the truth. Today IS the first day of 2009. A new year. The older I get the more apprehensive I am with each new year. Maybe it is because I have seen years start with such high hopes only to see the dreams that you had never come true. Or maybe I am afraid of what the future could hold.
I sure did not see dad's death coming in 2007 when I was ringing in THAT new year. Some years I just want to go to bed before midnight and have the new year come creeping in without me noticing and just waking up to a brand new year with no fuss about it.
I have decided to change my blog a little. For the first year without my dad it helped me to just focus on my life without him and how that shaped my life and changed me and everyone around me. Now I will broaden it to be more encompassing of life in general... but dad is a constant in my life always and forever.
So today we head into a new year with hope in our hearts and the promise of a bright year...because today really is the first day of the rest of your life and there is always hope. Always.