Thank You, Coach Ullom, The Reason I Love You, Gifts, Opportunities, and Presents

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present."
— Bil Keane

6:31 a.m., good morning world, you have to stomach me yet another day. It's dark outside, the sky is just a little pink at the horizon; over the next 20 minutes, I'll watch a free show provided by something bigger than ourselves. One of my greatest blessings is getting to watch the sunrise every morning from a unique vantage point.

We worked around the house yesterday until noon. Then, we headed to Scooters BBQ to pick up our burnt ends and shredded pork. After that, we headed to Morrison to eat and shop. I bought my wife a book titled "The reason I love you." I'll give it to her today with my reason on our first anniversary and then add to it daily; I love my wife and will never tire of telling her why.

We went to the grocery store, then headed home; Bay and I played some Gin, my cousin worked a little, my wife cooked some food for dinner and prepped for our little anniversary party today. I must give Bay some credit, she beat my ass to a pulp in our last game to 1000, the worst defeat of my life, but I've got a nice lead in our new game.

I want to say thank you to Coach Justin Ullom and the Monroe Central Bears for giving our community a fantastic run and a great basketball season. Although they lost last night in the regional, they were undefeated going into last night's match. I don't think our little school has ever had an undefeated season, but it was great to watch, and although the season is over, it will be an excellent memory for the coaches, players, and fans.  

Sports are a great distraction from life. Let's face it; there is a war going on in Europe, but taking an hour or two to watch a game allows one to forget about the pain and suffering and connect with other humans for a common cause. We watched the Indiana Hoosiers lose to Iowa yesterday during lunch, a great game; for a while, we watched and didn't think about anything but the ten men on the court. I think the Hoosiers made it into the dance; let's see how far they can go.

One year ago today, we had a blizzard. We were expected to get seven feet of snow, but we only got 3 feet. We had invited about 30 friends to join us for our wedding. But called each and told them it would be too dangerous to attempt the trip. So four of our neighbors walked over and joined us; we had a total of ten, and today we will have eight of the ten back to celebrate a great year of marriage. Our pastor is back in Indiana; we miss you, Pastor Paul. Tommy is now away at school and cannot join our gathering.

It's been a great year; we were able to travel a little, our company had another successful year, our families are all healthy, and we are expecting some more grandbabies. It seems that we are coming out of the pandemic; I look forward to living our lives circa 2019, living free without restrictions. However, I think history will show many errors were made in managing the virus, lessons learned, freedom was redefined.

My cat has joined me on my magical bean bag chair. This might be my last day in this spot, I've got another bean bag from our condo, and I plan on putting it up in our master, giving me a new view, more inspiration, a new vantage point to express myself. The first load of condo furniture is now in the garage; we will slowly integrate those pieces into our mountain house; we will sell the condo in Mid May and then reinvest in a property by the water. So stay tuned for that adventure.

The sun slowly makes her way up, the sky now a tinged blue with orange and pink streaks. There are no clouds in the sky; we are supposed to get above 50 degrees today; it was similar yesterday, a stark contrast to one year ago. It's a glorious day; we are blessed beyond measure. Next Sunday, we have our community over for brunch; it will be the first time many of our friends have made it to our newly remolded home; I'm looking forward to hosting our friends.

I suspect we will go on a hike this morning; it is time to stretch our legs and get PVHT out for some exercise. I think everyone will arrive about 2:00; the menu is set; in addition to Scooters, we have corned beef, spicey green beans, and bacon-infused mac and cheese. My wife is an executive chef.

I hope these words find you in a good space; I hope your life is what you want it to be. But, if it's not, make a minor change today that will help you achieve your best version of yourself. Life is about choices and decisions, and if you live RFN, the universe will reward you with treasure, joy, and happiness. It is up to you to decide how to interpret what happens in your life. Remember, there is always a gift and opportunity.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present."
— Bil Keane