Y 2K Jitters

I am trying to remember if I always get nostalgic this time of year or if this is a sign of getting older? Anyway, it seems this last decade went way too fast. I remember Dec. of '99 and all the anxiety felt around the world about ushering in the 21st Century. I actually had friends who filled up both their bathtubs, spent $200.00 on liquor, and $100.00 on chocolate and said " let the good times roll." My brother bought generators, food, water and guns to welcome in 2000. There was a lot of craziness.

Jim and I lived in Chicago and didn't get caught up in the frenzy. We went to a New Year's Eve party at our neighbors and watched the events on their television. Our future son-in-law, David, had asked for Brooke's hand in marriage and said he was going to ask her to marry him at the stroke of midnight. I was a little "jittery" thinking about that because she was our first little chickie to take the plunge.

A lot of things happened during the last ten years to us personally: we retired and moved to Coeur d'Alene, all our children married, all our grandchildren arrived(4 boys 5 and under), we got new jobs, my mom died, we lost several friends to illness and accidents, and Taurus Lumber was formed (Jim and Matt's company).

On the national level the decade has not been as kind. The terrorist attacks on New York changed the world as we know it and certainly our sense of security. This led to a declaration of war on Iraq and Afghanistan that has been dragging on for 9 years. Perhaps because of the financial drain due to the war, our country has been in the largest recession since the great depression. This in turn has lead to unemployment which has caused an increase in crime...and so it goes... the ripple effect just keeps rippling.

In 2008 we elected our first black president, Barack Hussein Obama. I am not sure if it is because he is black or because of his unfortunate middle name, but there has been massive dissension since his election. Internationally his election seemed to raise the U.S. in the estimation of world leaders. Ironically, he even received the Nobel peace prize this year. Locally because Idaho is such a conservative state, public opinion is very much against the president.

This ill will in our country, the war, and the economy have caused the last ten years to be very stressful. As I look forward to a new decade I can only pray that things will improve. I pray for our soldiers who are in harms way, I pray for our president and that some wacko won't assassinate him. I pray that our economy will recover so young families and businesses won't lose everything they have worked for to foreclosures. I pray that everyone will realize that we do not have to agree with everything to still love and care about one another. Most importantly I pray that the new year and the new decade will be a more peaceful, loving and less stressful time for all.