The following from an article in our electric co-op magazine, written by Jacquline Tresl.

"My grandfather was a crusty, conservative Quaker who disapproved of holidays. dour dressed in gray, he scorned celebration and pomp. He had a special dislike for New Year's Eve. Doesn't make any sense to me if folks want to change themselves so much, they wait until the first day of the year to start. Plus they make resolutions they never keep."

Anyways this women's grandfather ahd resolutions for his life rather than just the new year, and I wanted to copy them here for you!

1. Make every task meaningful.

2. Savor every taste, smell, sound. Fcus your senses learning to link good memories with aromas, songs, whistling winds.

3. Do one especially nice thing for someone you love every Saturday.

4. Walk the boundaries of the farm EVERY day!

5. Surround yourself with living things, it helps keep your ego in check.

6. Remember the older folks. They deserve our respect. Many of them are widowed, sick, or lonely. Stop by and visit, send letters and photos. all of us will be old someday, if we live that long.

7. Sit down each afternoon and do nothing. Soak it all in. Appreciate the miracle of being a live. Pray, meditate, relax. Above all count your blessings.

8. Stay up late a couple times a year to watch the stars, the eclipses, the meteor showers. Look up at the beauty of the night sky.

9. Don't ignore the physical. No one feels tip-top after sitting all day.

10. Review your day, give yourself a "grade" Every night of my granfathers night, before he fell aslepp, he reflected back on his day with a critical eye. He asked himself if he had been unkind, lazy or impatient. Had he told a partial fib, spoken a mean word, or been ungrateful? If he felt he had failed, or was lacking he took himself to task. He felt shame and prayed to be better. Then the next day he worked hard on himself to make it so.

My grandfather saw 87 new years, he stuck to his resolutions. Every year he was a better man than the year before. His life was an endless celebration of what it means to be good, unselfish and loving. The end of the article!

AMEN!!!! wouldn't it be great to be a better person each year. to grade yourself on your faults and shortcomings. to actively work at correcting yourself? While I feel that to generations past this was commmon everyday behaviour, I am truly afraid that today's children are not receiving the same conscience training.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 03, 2002

Answers

This has hit home. It is so simple and we tend to make it so hard. I am going to add these to mine and strive to be better and to teach my child to be better. Thanks for sharing-

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), January 03, 2002.

That deserves a printout and an old-fashioned post on the fridge.

-- Dawn (olsoncln@ecenet.com), January 03, 2002.

Melissa,

Thank you for posting this! I read it a few days ago in our rural electric magazine and have read it to everyone in the family. I would like to have met her grandfather.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), January 03, 2002.

Hi Terry and all. the original was much better, I just tried to hit the main points of the article, so if you have read the real thing you are lucky!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), January 03, 2002.