Its been a slow start to the new year.  The crazy economy has affected everyone although some are blinded and would rather live with rose colored glasses.  I'm an optimist.  But I also believe our actions will decide if life gets better or we sink in debt.  I am fortunate that though "I" have debt, that I have a home.  I am fortunate that I have good health.  I'm blessed to have family and sincere friends.  And yea I'll say it - it sucks to see rat bastards feed on the trusting. 

In 2 weeks I celebrate 25 years in business.  It seems like such a long time but it doesn't feel that way.  I'm grateful for the confidence people have in me.  That has been my motivation.  My age says 52 and I see that number and think "damned - thats ancient" and I never would have believed I'd have lived past 30.  My closest joys are my daughters, my grandkids and 2 neighbor ladies in their late 80's.  We picked each other as family because I sure love them like they were my grannies.

The economy brought my life from comfortable to almost losing my home.  I'm still not out of the woods.  And yet last month so many families lost their homes to fires.  I saw this story in the news of a family of 8 that lost everything in a fire a few weeks before Christmas.  I saw the phone number on the TV, called and talked to the lady and told her its gonna be cold in a couple days and I'd get jackets for the family and a few things together.  I don't know why but I felt I had to help.  So that night til 4 in the morning I went through the closets and took clothes, sheets,  towels, dishes, shoes, jackets, blankets; everything I could do without.  It didn't leave a whole lot - but then again we don't need much.  I went through my craft boxes and even found 8 Christmas stockings.  I filled up the bed of my truck and the back seat too.  Some of my friends and family saw what I was doing when I was loading the truck and thought I was packing up. They helped too so all in all I ended up gathering 3 truckloads of things to help get the family started again. 

Life is never the same after losing all of your possessions.  I'm working on quilts and other craft projects.  Its more a stress reliever than anything.  Here we are going into the last week of January, 2010.  Lets see what February holds for us.