Christmas #55-

Yes, this will be my 55th Christmas. With my children grown, and only one grandchild nearby, Christmas has changed a bit. Still, I love the season. Here we are just days away, and so far it has been quite nice.

We attend Twin Lakes Church in the Santa Cruz area in California. If you check on YouTube some videos associated with the church will be available. Last week was the Christmas Concert, and this week the Candle Light Service. Both were very nice experiences.

Indeed, spending as much time as I do in jail makes church a very special thing. I spend my time with broken people, and it is trying. Being in church with a great number of people who are worshiping God is refreshing. Some of them are even the broken people I have had to keep in jail. That, too, can be refreshing.

It is a good church, and they do such a nice job presenting Christmas. I have enjoyed the season even more in recent years because of their wonderful efforts. Since this has been a time of healing for me, it is even more important.

My wife, Linda, does a great job at home. The decorations and ambiance are fabulous, and I am again refreshed. She even put together a nice weekend outing this week. We visited a mall in nearby San Jose and enjoyed the decorations. I especially like the themed trees in Macy's. She made it a point that we got over to see them.

We also visited with her sister Carol and her husband, Jack. We shall not be getting together for Christmas Day this year, due to my work schedule. It was nice to see them.

I spent a good amount of time playing World of Warcraft, which is also refreshing for me. I need such refreshments, because I am growing less and less able to handle my job without them. It is good that I am ending this career next year, just after Christmas. I do not know if anything would prove refreshing enough to get me through any more time.

It will be an interesting year. I really must get the whole retirement package together, and prepare for a next career. I have no idea what that career might be. I consider professional writing, but our income requirements might preclude such a risky venture. Nothing else really grabs me other than something that would include a lot of travel like my last trip to Oregon.

I really don't know how to make that a career. It would be so much time away, as well. With the family coming back together I don't know if I would want to be away for long periods of time.

It would be wonderful to do such traveling with Linda, but again the time is just not right. No, I need a career for the next few years that will lead into a future time of travel.

I have a year to develop my plans and begin getting them moving. And Christmas #56 will be one of the stops along the way.

That is something to look forward to.