Here’s a Merry Christmas wish from me to all of you. If you have the chance, make sure you spend this Christmas with the people you love. If you can’t be with them, don’t send a text. Pick up the phone, call them, and tell them how much you love them.
The holidays can be a particularly depressing time for many of us. Memories of loves lost, family members gone too soon, tragedies that keep us apart. Don’t let another Christmas go by with hard feelings or unresolved disputes. You don’t know how many more chances you’re going to get.
If you have young ones, cherish every moment that they Believe. My little ones, pictured above, can’t wait for the jolly old elf to arrive. My son, who’s about to turn 10, certainly won’t believe in Santa next year, and I’ll have to beg him not to ruin it for little sister. This will likely be the last time that he falls asleep nervous and excited, hoping to hear sleigh bells or reindeer hooves. I’m not going to take any of that magic for granted.
And as the year wraps up, I want to tell each of you how thankful I am that you choose to come to this tiny corner of the internet. Over 80 percent of you come here just by typing in the web address. You’re not coming because you saw a Facebook share or an SEM advertisement. You’re coming to be part of something that’s growing and changing and becoming something better every day. I’m thankful for the many existing and newer contributors we have, like Tom Klockau, Thomas Kreutzer, Rebecca Turrell, and others, and the ones who are furiously working away on their first contributions. Riverside Green is quickly becoming more than just the home of Jack B. and Bark M.—it’s becoming your home, too, and we’re glad that you’re here.
Of course, I can’t say thanks on this blog without thanking the man who started it. My brother is a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me he’s the guy who was my hero and my role model growing up. Everything he did, I wanted to do to. He fixed my bike, he carried me home when I was hurt, he took me all over town in the passenger seat of his Volkswagen Fox, and he never made me feel like I was anything less than his very best friend. We’ve both had some tough times over the years, and I can’t tell you how much it means to know that, no matter what, no matter how far apart our travels might have taken us, that I can pick up the phone and talk about whatever’s troubling me and he’ll give me all the time and attention I need, and reserve the judgment for another day.
I love you, big brother.
Merry Christmas.