How did we get here? Its hard to believe that another year has passed and we are starting a new one. Seems to fly faster each year.........again perhaps that's an age thing. When Patti's Dad was alive, he used to say "Well that's it for another year" every Christmas morning after all the gifts were opened. I've taken to saying those words now.......much to Patti's dismay. :0)

We were blessed with a wonderful Christmas, sharing "Eve" with our family and then just the four of us on Christmas morning. Nothing better than being with family on special occasions. And that's what we do on all the major holidays, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas and any other times we can throughout the year. I hope you too were able to be with your family and friends to celebrate, remember and just love on each other.

We gave up making resolutions years ago...........now we just talk about what we'd like to do, be, change, start, stop etc. No lists, just a good cup of coffee and good conversation about our lives. As we get older our priorities change to placing more emphasis and value on God, family, friends, our church, those in need and well just plain hoping to make a difference somewhere.

Praying that you and yours have an amazing 2012. May we be blessed and bless others more than last year. God Bless!

My last two posts were titled Spring and Summer time in Ontario? We ended up enjoying a beautiful summer and then the great blessing of an amazing Thanksgiving weekend. I would be content to have that kind of weather all year round, except for a little snow the week of Christmas as to me Christmas isn't Christmas without snow.

And now reality has set back in as we experience the true Canadian autumn with winds, rain and falling leaves. Still it is a beautiful time of year. Love the harvest colours and seeing pumpkins everywhere. When the kids were little we always carved pumpkins for Halloween and then roasted the seeds. Just the other day, our 19 year old son....who is 6'5" and not child like at all....said it was time to get a pumpkin and roast the seeds as we haven't done that in years. Amazing......just when you think that the kids don't care about traditions, they decide that they want to return to a memory from long ago. Love it!

And after autumn comes Christmas and then the traditions really kick in around here. First week of November Patti and I are into the baking of 25 to 30 fruitcakes (check out my website for Patti's favourite recipe!), peanut butter balls, gingerbread and so on. And the tree goes up mid November, the Christmas cards are prepared and the famous Sullivan Family newsletter is written to be included with each card.  And so it goes........Traditions are very important to us and we hope you and your family share some neat traditions too and continue to make memories......

So my last post was about our so called spring.......Here we are in late June, definitely past June 21st....the first day of summer and today its raining off and on, cool, windy and not looking like summer weather at all! I know that as Canadians we believe it is our right to complain about the weather and often we complain just for the sake of complaining, but my goodness I would say we are getting really close this year to having serious grounds for doing so!!

My wife Patti prefers the cooler weather and her favourite season is Autumn. I tell her she's not well at all because after autumn comes the winter and we all know what that means! Brrrrrrrr.....

Nevertheless, we are looking forward to spending some time up north at the cottage, reading, playing dominoes, working around in the garden and our favourite past time.....visiting with our wildlife. We were up this past week and Momma Deer brought her new fawn to visit. Glorious! It just doesn't get any better than that! And as for the weather, well when you get to our age we find that there are so many other things in life more important than the weather......family, friends, nature, good health, and a relationship with God from whom all blessings flow!

Have a safe and enjoyable summer everyone!

April showers bring May flowers...........so what do May showers bring? After one of the longest winters I can remember, we are now living a very strange spring. And yet, it could be much worse as our neighbours in Missouri fight to save their homes and their lives.

It just brings to mind again that one needs to count the blessings in our lives. The blessings of family and friends, a roof over our head, plentiful food at the local markets and stores, employment, health care, transportation, and so on. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we don't have, that we neglect to see that which we do have and often in abundance.

May we remember that every cloud has a silver lining and while I too am frustrated with the weather, there is much beauty around us as tulips and other spring flowers/bushes continue to bloom and grace our landscapes.

Its the second most wonderful time of the year. As a Christian, this weekend is a celebration of the sacrifice that my Lord made for me and in fact for all mankind past, present and future. Easter is actually more important to Christians than Christmas as we celebrate not only Christ's sacrifice for us, but His resurrection and that He has risen and lives at the right hand of God the Father.

When Christians greet each other this weekend, they will often say "He Is Risen" to which the response is "He Is Risen Indeed!"

We plan to have our family here this weekend for a meal in honour of our Lord. That is a feat in itself as our "children" who are all now young adults have very busy lives and jobs so trying to get us all together takes careful planning. But we did it and we can't wait to share some time, food and love with each other.

May you and yours have a blessed Easter as you consider what this time of year means and the sacrifice that was made for all of us.

Its April 20th, the birds are nesting, the crocus are blooming, the tulips, daffodils and hyacinthes are ready to bloom...........that is if we ever seen sun and warmth again! My goodness, this has truly been the never-ending saga of a Canadian winter and I for one have had enough! Okay, I know I'm not alone in this for sure because the weather is the popular topic of most days.

Perhaps we will just slide right into hot, humid, summer weather and miss the warm days with gentle breezes and cool nights perfect for sleeping with the windows open. I hope not as spring is such a beautiful time of year as the earth awakes in all it's glory, birds etc. begin nesting or preparing for new life and we all get spring fever. Actually, now that I think of it, perhaps skipping over spring has it's advantages. Spring cleaning with a long list of "stuff" to be done after the long winter. I have no problem in missing that annual ritual. But then, we would likely just push the list into the summer and fall............you know how those lists seem to have a life ot their own!?

May as well get over myself and resign myself to the fact that the weather is one of the things that identifies us as Canadians. I'd rather be identified by my Tim Horton's cup, love of hockey, or any one of the other symbols of our country. Could be worse, we could be living out West where they are still getting alot of snow! Right, I'm counting my blessings..........

Is this not the winter to remember? Oh I know we've had worse storms.....like the winter of 1977? Of course, some of you weren't even born then, but it was a doozie, take my word for it. We often tell our kids that they have no idea what a real snow fall is like as we regale them with exaggerated stories of ten foot high snow drifts and walking to school in our pjs.....uphill both ways! Don't know where that story came from, but the kids are skeptical to say the least!

As we get older, we are complaining more about the cold, the snow, the cold, shoveling, the cold. Did I say we hate the cold?? We have a place up in the Huntsville area where we will spend some of our retirement years. And yet, the thought of spending all year up north is not very enticing given the amount of snow they get and the cold temperatures. Arizona is looking pretty good for the winter months!

And yet, we are proud to be Canadian.....wouldn't have it any other way. And quite frankly, we have American family in Michigan and they have been complaining even more than us so......it could be worse I suppose. Even with our strange seasons we choose to be proud of the red and white. I mean who can forget those Olympics just one year ago? Pride swept this nation like a tidal wave...........it was glorious. Let's try and keep it going.

It has been three years since my last mission/humanitarian trip to Cuba with our church. This is a great way to start the new year and I have missed these excursions. This year ten of us are making the journey which translates into multiple pounds/kilos of much needed medical supplies, clothing, toiletries and even soccer balls. Yes, all things that we take for granted as we bask in our North American, abundant lifestyle.

A quick trip to Shoppers Drug Mart....open until midnight in most locations, meets all of our needs for a quick over the counter concoction that will alleviate a fever, pain, sniffles, cough etc. Not so in Cuba. I cannot imagine being a parent whose child needs medicine and there are few places to turn for immediate assistance. We are blessed in this country in so many ways.

And so as we are blessed, so we need to bless others. Yes, it feels good to be doing something practical and the Cuban people are so gracious and thankful. But its not about me. Today, the popular expression is "pay it forward", however as I am a Christian my "motto" comes from the Bible, "do unto others as I would have them do unto me". Pretty simple, God asks us to feed the hungry, give something to drink to the thirsty, show hospitality to strangers, give clothing to those in need, look after the sick and visit those in prison. (Matthew 25: 35-40)

What's in it for me you ask? I say it every time I return from one of our trips. I am impacted by the joy and love shown by the Cuban people who are full of joy yet they have so little. We who have so much can take a lesson from the Cuban people and for that matter, many throughout the world who do not enjoy the abundance we have. Its not how much we have, its how much we appreciate what we do have and how much we share with others. Counting my blessings.........

I am now into my 25th year of selling real estate. Initially, I worked alone and the office administrative staff prepared my offers, processed my listings etc. etc. After about ten years I realized that the paperwork, filing, and other adminstrative details prevented me from focusing on what I love to do and what I am skilled at......listing and selling real estate and helping people. This realization led me to hire a full time assistant who also happened to be licensed and we worked together for 11 years.

My wife Patti is licensed, but never wanted to "do" real estate until about 4 1/12 years ago when my longtime assistant and I parted ways and Patti stepped in to assume the "assistant" role. Its interesting how the working relationship has unfolded. My strengths are in negotiating, marketing, communication with people and general knowledge of the real estate market. Patti on the other hand, has an administrative mind, is great with organization, enjoys paperwork, and is a strong manager of time and people......one of those people is me! So while we don't sell real estate as a team, we are nonetheless a great team because each brings their own unique skills and gifts to the table. And for us, it works very well. And don't believe what people say about husband and wives working together being a nightmare..............it just works for us and we are very thankful.

Autumn is Patti's favourite time of year. She loves the changing leaves, the crisp air....especially for sleeping at night and farmer's markets. I on the other hand am not a huge fan as right on the tail of autumn comes the harsh, cold winter, yuck!  We do look forward to Thanksgiving with our extended family, making apple pies for the freezer and homemade antipasto. This time of year is amazing up north in Muskoka and we love to head to the cottage to enjoy the colours, our deer and great campfires.

And as we take great pleasure in all this season has to offer, we are mindful to be thankful. We thank God who has provided for all of our needs and more. The old hymn is remembered about counting our blessings, naming them one by one and seeing what God has done. An attitude of gratitude just seems to make life less stressful. We can always find another person who has heavier or more difficult burdens to bear. Yes, we all have burdens, and at the same time we all have blessings.

So from my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving, count your blessings, and start getting the snuggies out........Old Man Winter is just around the corner!