Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without. – Buddha
We’re back after a brief 3-year break from our traditional family Holiday card and letter. We’ve taken the time to regroup, exhale and grab a nice, long group hug – in no particular order.
Gone are the days of our typical holiday letters of family updates and kid shenanigans with a cleverly woven-in sentimental message. Yes, those letters were nice and had meaning, but nowadays even “meaning” has taken on much more meaning.
Today our message is straight from the heart. It’s the simplicity of six family members who this year will spend their 4th Christmas without the best jolly old elf/Dad/husband/fake Santa who ever walked the face of this round planet in his well-worn size 14 DSW bargain-priced shoes. It’s been an adjustment, but our love for each other and for “the big guy” has brought us closer and made us stronger.
As we’ve moved forward, we’ve learned there are a lot of ways you can look at death. More importantly, we’ve learned there are so many more ways to look at life. One of them is through the eyes of someone you love, and want to be more like.
On that note, we, the family, all strive to be more like Don who loved searching for and collecting great quotes; they are such a great reflection of where a person has been and what he values at the time a particular quote seems to really hit home – right where the heart is.
Our gift to you is a little piece of ourselves – the gift of quotes. They come from the “soul,” – that place inside of us we cannot physically touch or see, but we know when someone is close to it because when they’re gone we are never quite the same again.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”. –Ralph Waldo Emerson (from Kim)
“Don’t fear tomorrow or regret the past, live for what’s now and never look back”. – Author unknown (from Erica)
“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly”. Author Unknown (from Angie)
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded”. – Ralph Waldo Emerson. (from Hayley)
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself wherever you choose”. – Dr. Seuss (from Ross)
“No soul that aspires can ever fail to rise; no heart that loves can ever be abandoned. Difficulties exist only that in overcoming them we may grow strong.” – Annie Besant (from Shelli)
“Sieze the Day. (Carpe Diem) Put as little trust as you can in tomorrow.” – Horace (from Don)
This holiday season, whether you choose to carpe cheesecake, carpe cuddle, or carpe diem, it is our wish that you “carpe something.” You just never know when you’ll get another chance to enjoy what you love again – be it a dessert, a hug from a loved one, or just another day on this beautiful earth.
Peace, love, family and wishes for a truly Blessed New Year. God is good; He has a plan; and He never makes mistakes. – The Netko Family
