This is my annual year in review blog post. 2018 was an interesting year; it helped me realize several things in my life - about my family, about time marching on, about my future, about my country... about my blessings.
I inserted the picture of me with my truck, because one of the things I was blessed with in 2018 (March 24 to be exact) was a nice new Dodge Ram. It even has a Hemi :)
Anyway, I didn't just earn this truck. Sure, I am paying for it. But one of the things I am blessed with the most is a mother and father who truly love their oldest son. Although I am paying for the truck, I couldn't have gotten the one I wanted if it weren't through some wheeling and dealing on my dad's part. He even found the truck for me, because he is awesome at that sort of thing. So although the truck is great, it's family for which I am most grateful, and family that has somehow always made things happen for me. That family has brought me through thick and thin, and ups and downs. My wife and son make everything I do in life worth it, even though I don't always show them appreciation the way I should. But they often remind me of the love my parents have for me and my two brothers. That love for family I think is so contagious, especially when the patriarch and matriarch pour so much of themselves into their home and their family.
Speaking of ups and downs, 2018 was an interesting year health-wise for my mom. She's had a knee surgery and a back surgery in the same year. She's had to rehabilitate, and put up with pain, and had to stray away from some of her former energetic activities for a time. She's coming back around, but it opened my eyes about the future of our family. It helped me realize that time is fleeting, and before you know it, your parents are selling the house where you grew up.
My mom's health made my dad change my parents' lives around just a bit, getting into a nice local retirement community. This will make life easier for both the folks, with a one story house versus the old family home with two stories, washer and dryer in a basement, and steep steps to both upstairs and the basement. But this also means the family will say goodbye to the old house on Kim Street. I think it was the old country singer, Tracy Lawrence, who sang Time Marches On ; this year is really starting to show me that.
Time marches on so fast, I've already been on an official college tour with my sixteen year old, and one Admissions presentation for another. That's right - my son is starting the college selection process. This Spring, he will start filling out applications. If things work out, he will be able to go to a school where he can work on both becoming an officer in the Air Force in a college ROTC program, and also take classes on aerospace engineering. 2018 has taught me how fast my son has grown, to the point that if he punches me in my arm, or wants to arm wrestle, things aren't as one-sided as they used to be. He still has a long way to go to catch up with his old man in size, but nevertheless, he is growing into a man. Humbling, mind blowing, and gratifying all at once; that's how I'd describe it. But 2018 has taught me how much he has learned from both his parents. 2018 brought me a teenage son who drives now... clear the roads! We will see what the next academic year holds for the young man.
2018 has forced me to take a long look at the future of our country. Politics aside, the world poses so many challenges to America. World events and worldviews are changing so rapidly, I fear I've realized many ominous signs for our country's future. As a Christian, I have a hope that cannot be replaced by anything, regarding the future of my soul. But the country in which I live? Who knows? There are plenty of crazy signs out there that freedom will be at stake. Many freedoms have already been lost throughout the world. Pay attention to various news sources (NEVER JUST ONE), because 2019 stands to pose even wilder news than 2018.
As for my future, I hope to still make it as an author and a speaker one day. But the authoring might just always be a productive hobby for me. I am also learning, the older I get, the more set in my ways I become. That doesn't always coexist well with pop culture, or trying to build a varied audience. But no matter what my individual future holds, I know I am blessed. I've got my wife and kid; I've got a house; I've got a truck (and so does my son); I've got dogs, and I've still got plenty of family. Just haven't quite made that best sellers' list in the author department.
Oh well, maybe 2019 will still bring some interesting news to Fortress Books. In the meantime, I will keep writing. I will keep my day job, and count my blessings. And I will keep trucking along. Happy New Year everyone. And as I always say at the end of my two cent videos on social media - God bless America, while we still have it.