Greetings and Salutations;

     Here we are, rolling into a new year. I want to send my best wishes out to all of you that 2013 will be animprovement over 2012!

     In this new year, I hope we, as asociety, can be more introspective, and willing to objectivelyconsider the decisions we make and take the path that may not get useverything we want, but, will be the best both for us and for thepeople around us. When I say that, I am not only looking at all ofus, but, especially at our elected representatives on the Federal,State and Local levels of government. 2012 had too many examples ofshameful decisions that were self-serving and based on deliberateattempts to undercut the actions of President Obama and to help atiny percentage of Americans preserve and expand their wealth, asopposed to what might be best for the country as a whole.

     I hope that every one of us who claimto be Christian will remember that Christ instituted a NEW Covenantwith mankind, so, clinging mindlessly to the rigid strictures of theOld Testament is not a righteous path. More of us need to re-readthe story of the Good Samaritan, and seriously consider whichcharacter in that morality play we want to be. Will we be one of thepeople who look upon the injured man, and pass him by, leaving himlaying in the ditch? Or will we be the Samaritan who helps theinjured and goes out of his way to ensure he would be cared for untilfully recovered.

     I hope that, as we move through theworld this year, going about our busy and chaotic lives, that atleast once, we are presented with a view of nature that causes us tostop and stare in amazement, and, leaves us with a greaterappreciation of what we have here, and, an understanding of why weshould work to preserve it.

     I hope that we, as individuals, canand will take some time for introspection and attempt to understandthe programming that runs our lives. We all have baggage packedwith ugly moments from our past that still influences the way we lookat ourselves, interact with others, and react to events that theworld presents to us. It has been my experience that the only wayto remove the control that this baggage and the demons within have onus is to pull it out, open it up and expose it to the light of day. This can be a painful and difficult process, but, in the long run, itfrees us and improves our ability to live successfully and have morepositive interactions with the people around us. The road ofself-awareness has become less popular these days, but, it is stillperhaps the most important part of our life journey that we can take.

Pleasant Dreams

Bee Man Dave