Happy New Year!

A new year is upon us, and it's almost February already.  Wow!  So far, 2023 has been a good one as I'm diligently working on my bucket list.  On New Year's Day, I participated in the First Day Hike at Cleburne State Park.  There were two different hikes slated for the day.  Both included hiking to the CCC-built dam, while the longer hike diverged to the trail running along the perimeter of the state park.  (Roughly six miles in length.  My arthritic back sure hurt the following day.)  In addition to the time spent outdoors, I finally took four days off from work in order to visit family for the holidays.  For whatever reason, the job wouldn't allow me to take off.  Out of frustration, I simply stated yours truly would be out-of-town for a few days and the shifts need to be covered.  If this constitues a resignation, so be it.  Surprisingly, I still had a job upon arrival back in Fort Worth.  Guess playing hardball pays off from time to time.  Anyway, the trip to Yoakum and the Austin area was rich with fellowship and quality time spent together.  On the way back to Fort Worth, I finally paid my respects to family and friends burined in a cemetery in Pflugreville.  (After procrastinating for more than a few years, I finally resolved to stop by.  There wasn't any excuse for putting it off any longer.)  My maternal grandparents, along with a friend and his wife, are interred in this beautiful resting place.  Other than knowing what section they were in, I had to spend some time walking up and down the many rows of headstones in order to locate the loved ones.  After departing the cemetery, I stopped in Georgetown to visit with a dear friend of the aforementioned grandparents.  She is well into her 90s and looks great for her age.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stay long as I was anxious about getting back to D/FW.  I am so glad to finally take care of both those bucket list items.  This doesn't mean I won't ever revisit those items, but I am glad to have taken care of them.  There are more bucket list items I'm currently working on.  Seems like there is always something to take care of.  What I find is how much more bearable life becomes when I engage the world around me.  It's when I hole-up in the apartment that I grow morbidly depressed concerning the void of meaning and purpose in life.  Thankfully I have a God and King who takes an active interest in who I am.  Life would definitely lose its flare without the Lord Jesus.  I'm looking forward to what the rest of the year brings.

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