Faith Train

This may have been my longest period between posts.

Hello Again my Friend!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Hanukkah!

Happy New Years!

We were in Zermatt, Switzerland for Christmas, it certainly is beautiful there. 

Felt like I had fallen right in to a fairytale.

The cog railway "Glacier Express" (hello Polar Express!) brings you up the mountain clinkity clink clink... you pass places like St. Nicholas (come on!) and little wineries and farms perched impossibly on the steep hillside...there are goats and gnomes and gorgeous little alpine cottages and barns all over the place. Not kidding. Gnomes. At one point I actually felt like I may have died and gone to heaven, like this immaculate red train with huge floor to ceiling windows, big comfortable seats and beautiful, friendly conductors was taking me to heaven. Would have been nice to spend Christmas with my parents again but alas that was not the case. Perhaps you thought I died, I've never gone two weeks without a post, well here I am, two weeks later alive and well. 

We were in this picture book alpine church on Christmas Eve to sing carols, it was packed, I mean packed, I had some french family literally sitting on my lap ~ they are that small. The exuberant British minister had us all laughing as he portrayed the innkeeper telling his side of the story. The story of Christ's birth. That's why we were all there anyway wasn't it? There was a woman behind us, from the UK I believe, who had the most beautiful soprano voice and she was belting it out. Reminded me so much of my sweet mother that when she started singing Silent Night (my mom's and my fave) I just started balling. Out of nowhere. Jeff was wonderful and held me tight as he sang his heart out. Jeff does not sing, I think that was the first time I have heard him give it his all. He has a great voice! Who knew?! That was the best Christmas memory for me this year. The best.

Anyhoo...What I miss most about my parents, aside from my mom's perfect pitch, is that they had such faith and unyielding generosity. I am not talking just about giving to trusts and foundations, having university libraries named after you, although that is nice. I am talking about giving of your time, your spirit, yourself. The older I get the more I realize how special they were and how much I missed out on not being able to spend my adult years with them. This new year my plan is to live my life as my parents did and would have wished for me. 

Hey it's not a bad credo.

Help those less fortunate. 

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. 

Small minds talk about people, big minds talk about ideas.

Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, the other gold. 

Kill 'em with kindness.

Have faith that you are in the right place at the right time.

Do onto others....

and my mother's last words, literally, before she took that faith train up to heaven.... 

Love and respect one another.

I wish you a very happy, healthy and safe new year filled with LOVE.