The End of the Year Makes Me Nostalgic

The end of the year always makes me nostalgic.  When I was single, I used to write an end of the year synopsis and thoughts that I had.  I haven't done that in years.  I'll hold off doing that for a few more days but I do want to mention a couple things now.

Even though I work for an airline, I don't travel as often as one may think.  However, this year I was able to revisit Colombia and Costa Rica.  This is the first year I’ve been to Colombia twice in the same year.  The first country I visited after I started working at Delta was the Bahamas.  I had my parents go with me and it was a lot of fun.  There is a picture of my parents at the beach and it is one of the last pictures I have of the two of them together before mom died.

My parents got to the Bahamas the day before I did.  Mom was waiting outside on a bench when I got to the hotel.  She was wearing a hat that she bought there in Nassau.  She looked so relaxed.  One of the things that I learned about my dad is that he is such a people person.  It is not that I didn't know that before but this trip really solidified that thought in my head.  We'd be in a restaurant and dad would turn to someone sitting close to us and ask, "Where are you from?"  He was amazed at the diverse places people lived.  They were from different parts of the US or Europe.  Dad regularly comments on how amazing it is that we are so similar but none of us are alike.

I remember one restaurant we went to and my parents couldn't understand the accent of the waiter at all.  They kept looking at me to translate for them.  After the waiter would leave dad would ask, "Are they speaking English?"

I have been blessed to have a wonderful family in which to grow.  I'm doubly blessed by my wife and kids.  So many things happen in our lives that make life rich.  It is good for me to get regular reminders.