Christmas Wishes

Christmas is right around the corner and everyone is  busy preparing for that very special day.  There are presents to be bought, apartments and houses to be decorated and food to be prepared.  It's the same every year.  However,  a moment should be taken to reflect on the year and the people in our lives and to say "thank you" to your god for those people.  Life is short, so don't waste time and not tell the people you cherish that you love them. 
The holiday season is full of parties to attend and cards to be written and it's often difficult to take the time to let everyone know how you feel, but even a brief line would go a long way.  Hugs and smiles also work wonders. 
I want to take a minute now to wish all of my friends and family a very Merry Christmas, happiness, health and prosperity in 2014. May all of your hopes and dreams come true in the coming year.  

Visiting home

The week before Thanksgiving I flew to Florida to visit my cousin, who I haven't seen in 3 years and to eat a little Thanksgiving goodness.  We went to the beach, so we could soak up some warm Florida sunshine and so I could squish sand between my toes and laugh about how good it felt to be back in the States after being away for over 6 months.  I then proceeded to make the rounds through the pan-handle of Florida, south Alabama and Birmingham before flying back to my home away from home in Dresden, Germany.  I worked very hard at trying to convince a few friends that there is a lot to see in Dresden and that they should make the hop across the pond as soon as possible.  Hopefully, all of that smooth talking that I did will pay off in the near future. 
In short, the flight was long, the food on the plane was as bad as it's ever been and people were generally cranky and in a hurry, but the feeling of being enveloped in warm hugs from family and friends was absolutely priceless.  For all of those who haven't been home yet, I hope you have the opportunity to go home for the holidays and enjoy the company of your loved ones and friends.
May you have an uneventful trip and a very warm welcome home.  Merry Christmas season to you all!

Missing friend

On May 1, 2008 a close friend committed suicide.  I don't even know what drove her to make a decision such as this one.  She had lost her job as a gynocologist a few months before I met her in May of 2007.  One thing I would like to say about her is that she loved her country.  I was attending the Goethe Institute as part of a summer study abroad program when we met.  It quickly became a routine where we would have a breakfast of bread, fruit and cheese before I ran off to class, then in the afternoons, we would have lunch together and talk about where we wanted to go.  She was so great about taking me places that I would not have otherwise seen.  Stolpen, Sächsische Schweiz , Pillnitz and Chemnitz just to name a few.  On the way to where ever we were going she would tell me the history behind what we were about to see.  It was so interesting to me.  One day we went to the German Hygene Museum to see an expedition called "Deadly Medicine"  it was about the experiments the Nazi's performed on people.  We both were teary eyed when we left.  For me, it was the most wonderful summer of my life.  Exploring Saxony, Germany with someone who was just as excited about the history as I was.  I made a promise to her that I would return as soon as possible.  As soon as possible wasn't soon enough for her.  I would just like to say "Thank you" to her for sharing her time and love for her country with me.  I miss her dearly.

Friends in Mobile

A truly good friend is one who will play the piano for you over Skype when you need cheering up, or drop you a line just to say that she is thinking about you . I am fortunate to have one of those special friends.

The best part of the story is that now she can play the piano for me in person and leave the sometimes unreliable Skype out of the equation. I am looking forward to the coming week with her and making lots of music and laughter during this time that we have together.