from its very nice home here on Blogger to a new site: moonovertrees.com
The way to start the New Year should be with family and friends. I ended the night (but before midnight) in Greensboro with friends, and shared the night and early morning with my kids on our way to Banner Elk.
It made the day weird, but again the day ended well, with my children and I joining my parents, my brother and niece with my mom's sisters' families -- a family holiday tradition that dates to my earliest memories. My uncle Bob desperately bragging on Clemson (yeah...) and my great cousins and aunts all running around getting things together and catching up. We usually play ping pong (none tonight, sadly) but it truly is a way that makes the closure of the holidays both natural and bittersweet. 
23,540 photos taken in the past 365 days. 371 blog entries over the last 12 months. Hundreds of thousands of words written, recording memories, pain, happiness, travel, precious time with my children... and another year passes. 525,600 minutes -- how do you measure a year, a year in the life?
Brought my children home today, and got a bunch of other stuff done. Had a nice family dinner, and enjoyed a movie with the kids. The way a day which is the next to last day of the decade should be.
Had the occasion to be in downtown Raleigh tonight -- I was trying to mail a note to a former co-worker, and thought dropping it at the Post Office on Fayetteville Street would be a good idea -- and was stopped in my place at the beauty of the State Capitol and the Christmas tree on the south side of the square. It was a wonderful sight.
I wrote a blog a few weeks ago about an accident that I had seen on I-40 around Mocksville. Over the past few days, the family of the young man who was one of the folks involved in the horrific wreck and airlifted to Winston-Salem found that blog. They have made some very nice comments, and really touched me with their words.
...will always be a bittersweet day to me. Two years ago, I woke up with one plan for my day, and another fell into place. Today, thinking back on it, I can tell you a lot about some of it, but I cannot piece some facts together. I know that I regret my failure to take care of myself, and yet I am thankful that I went through four days at Duke because it was the wake-up call I desperately needed. But it was one of many wake-up calls I received, and other things that occurred that fateful morning set up a number of the changes that came in the weeks and months that followed. But it never makes me happy.
Woke up to a white world, covered in a thick blanket of snow. It was the kind of snow that I always associate with Christmas. When I was a kid, one of the most memorable storms was at Christmas, and the snow so wet and heavy that it literally stacked on the wire fence two and three inches high. This morning, driving around, seeing it lay higher and higher on branches, cars, and very horizontal or angled space it could, each flake stacked on another the way that buckyballs of carbon make their strength. It was a sight to behold... and one rarely seen here.
I did not want to be alone today, so last night, after the Watts Street Candlelight Service and Lovefeast, I drove to Banner Elk, arriving near 11 pm. I walked into my parents' house, walking through cold air into a dark sunroom. After getting my handful of presents around the tree, I walked down the hall and crawled into bed.
My parents and I spent a while talking, sharing news and talking about the kids. It was a nice way to spend the first few minutes of this day. We exchanged presents and then got ready to go to Hickory. It was most definitely a White Christmas -- snow falling, roads getting icy and wind swirling fog and powder. The people driving for the most part shouldn't -- too slow and uncertain to be safe, but the slush was making it tough for everyone to drive, including me. 
This morning, I was awoken by Mary Kathryn at 7:30 am to tell me that it was time for Drew and I to get up so we could open presents. Reminded me of my own Christmas mornings many years ago, only I don't think that I would have been brave enough to have woke my parents up like that.
The wonder on their faces is always the best part of Christmas. Reminds me of my own childhood, and the way I felt every time I opened a present. I really sometimes wish I could restore that same appreciation for Christmas morning. In fact, the absence of that mystery and appreciation of the moment is probably the biggest reason I don't love Christmas like I used to.
Today, I drove to Fayetteville for a little Christmas luncheon at the office. It gave me a chance to reflect on how much I have to be appreciative of in my work. I have a great team working with me -- from my account management group, to the numerous Keystone folks that I assist in their ongoing work throughout the state, and increasingly in other states, and ultimately to the folks I work with in our offices and in Dallas. It is always surprising to me how successful it can all be, with such real people.
With the plethora of Christmas cards arriving over the past few days, and a great lunch I had today with Gene and our friend Haynes, I want to mention how thankful I am for my friends. They have been a rock for me in so many wonderful ways, especially over the last couple years.
So after reaching the peak of the eclipse, the clouds moved in and began to coat the sky and ended the show. I am now going to bed, having accomplished the goal of capturing the sky.
Was thinking that this might be a good week to say what I'm thankful for...
