Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays.  Just knowing that Jesus arose on that holiday gives us all  hope.  It’s like the trees and everything else arises every spring giving us hope for a warm spring and summer.  It’s life renewed.  It’s salvation at it’s most remarkable.  When Jesus arose from the grave, he not only appeared to his disciples, he appeared to American Indians, and others on this earth giving us all hope of salvation.  Not many people know that or believe it but it has been told by many tribes through out the generations that followed.  So here’s hoping you have a blessed Easter and realize the love that comes from this holiday.

Easter will be coming soon and when the children were all still living at home, we always planned a ‘spring break’ vacation.  Since the children have moved out, we haven’t done that and she mentioned that she misses that the other day.  Well I have a surprise for her for ‘spring break’.  You can find some amazing prices for a cruise right now and I have found a great deal on a cruise for just the two of us.  It will be sort of a second honeymoon too since our anniversary isn’t very far away either.

I’m a smart man and I know that if I am going to make this as special for her as I hope it will be, then I better let her help pick out the cruise!!  Carnival cruise lines has some great cruises like to the Bahamas, or the Caribbean or even Hawaii but I think I’ll leave it all up to her as to which cruise we choose.  Besides, it’s going to be fun picking out the perfect ‘spring break’ with my wonderful wife.  She deserves so much better than I can give her but I thank God everyday that she chose to be my wife.  I am a lucky man and I know it.

HOPE is a four letter word but not one people use enough.  HOPE is the one thing we all have when we have nothing else.  HOPE gives us all a reason to keep trying.  HOPE give us all a reason to keep reaching for more.  HOPE is something you will have when you have nothing else left and yet HOPE is one four letter word that people don’t seem to believe in anymore.

I have so much HOPE for the new year.  I have so much HOPE for the world and my little part of it.  All I can do is try to make my little part of this big old world a better place and with that HOPE, just maybe it will spread.  When the white man first came to this country, Indians were looked upon as savages.  We all were peace loving people and willing to fight to keep what was ours.  That’s nothing more than the white people are guilty of too but we learned to live together and the world is a far better place for it.

My HOPE for the new year is that the world, or at least America, will still keep learning that we are all God’s creatures and all want the same basic things.  Those things are respect, honor, and to be able to take care of our families.  These are simple things in all reality and should not be so hard to obtain.  Through the great wisdom of God and our own people (meaning Americans) we can again find peace and prosperity.  This is my HOPE for the new year for not only Americans, but for the world.

All of us coaches and mentors decided to get together and have a Christmas party for our Lego team.  It’s a Lego Christmas party and what a party it was too.  We all chipped in together and got each of the kids a nice Lego set like the ‘Indiana Jones’ sets or the shark attack set.  I can’t remember what the proper name is for the sets but the kids loved them.

We have set up to meet once a month all year long until the announce what the next challenge will be for next years competition.  They we will dive in head first into the project and hopefully do better next year.  Each of us adults involved is trying to drum up mentors, money to help with projects, and even food donated for our meetings.  I figure if Dominoes will give us pizza once a month then Pizza hut will another month.  Can’t let the competition beat you out on doing something good for kids education, ya know.

Well I feel so much of the Christmas spirit this year that I know in my heart it will be full of love and joy.  Those are far more important than any present you can give.