The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

The 2001 Celebration

by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor and Publisher

3 January 2001

I celebrated New Year's Eve by having two of my grandchildren over for the night, Drew 8 and Ali 6.

We shared the evening with my mother who is 86 and still out-lasts us in staying up.

We had beef stick, cheese and crackers, pizza and soft drinks while watching a couple of family movies we rented.

In between breaks of checking out some of the celebrations across the nation, my grandson was planning for the 12 o'clock hour in the Midwest.

His new small H-scale electric train set was set on our dining room table and he was planning on running it at Midnight.

He had made signs and stuck them on top of different box cars.

One said "Happy New Year!," another said "2001," and another said "12 P.M."

There were no party hats but they had brought two noise makers to blow.

As we watched our movies, Drew had his prize possession from Christmas by his side. It was a beautiful silver Thomas The Train pocket watch complete with a second hand.

As 12 p.m. approached, Drew scooted into the dining room with his sister behind him and was ready.

Right at midnight Drew turned on the train and he and Ali began blowing their noisemakers to a sleepy crowd of grandparents and my nephew James.

"Happy New Year," they shouted as they blew their shrill sounding horns. "Happy New Year!"

Children always make a celebration more exciting with their exuberant energy and clever ideas. I know they keep our minds more alert with their constant questions and conversation.

This world is going to be even more amazing in the coming years with the future doctors, builders, engineers, nurses, teachers, cooks, artists, musicians and future leaders we are producing in our homes.

If we let go and let them be a little of what God made children to be, a free spirit, the sky is the limit.

They will keep celebrating those special occasions, like a new year where they say good-bye to the past and hello to whatever awaits them tomorrow.

As we begin another year, I like to think of it as a chance to celebrate new beginnings, new accomplishments, hopefully meeting some new goals we have set, but I also know there will be those failures and challenges awaiting us.

They always say those who survive a drought, a power outage, a stock market crisis, a major heart problem, or a cold trip across Antarctica are those who make themselves aware of the possible hardships that may come and prepare for them. The survival rate is so much better and the suffering is so much less intense.

So, I hope we are able to celebrate a lot throughout the next year because we thought ahead to prepare for those crisis that seem to be packed into every year.

Fill the car with gas, carry an extra set of keys, eat right and exercise, avoid the excesses, and always be thankful for the blessings that surround you.

Don't expect your year to be perfect. Expect some excitement and some hurts. Rainbows often accompany rain so bring out the childlike curiosity and look for them.

Also, remember everyone is a little bit lonely, so try this year to make each person you meet feel special.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. Whenever you find those rainbows, get out the noisemakers, share it with family and friends, and turn on the electric train and take that good message all around the track.

When you take time to celebrate all the good things that happen, it will make the year a lot more fun!