Clinton Township Newsletter

1 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 O n O c t o b e r 6 I t o o k m y usual morning walk, ate breakfast, did errands and all appeared quite normal. On October 7 NOTHING was the same and I was surprised and distressed that no one noticed an immense change in the world as we know it. I became a GREAT Grandmother! Baby Alan, weighing almost 8 pounds, was born. And he is, without a doubt, the most adorable kid on the planet. Being a Mother was good; being a Grandmother was better; being a Great Grandmother trumps all of the above. Trouble is, being a long distance relative really sucks. Happily there are tons of photos and the miracle of Skyping. By next Spring, when Alan will probably be walking, talking and solving Common Core math problems, I will take the trek to Minnesota and do some serious hugging and kissing. If you follow the news on TV or the newspaper, it becomes apparent that being wealthy – owning private jets and expensive automobiles and Tiffany diamonds – does not equate with a contented life. What actu- ally spells Happiness is Family. The older I get (and heaven knows I keep doing that), the more grateful I am to have a small, but close knit group of relatives. Admittedly, I'd be more than willing to address some of their issues by sharing almost nine decades of knowledge. But, gee, they are doing surprisingly well without my input as I try to keep my mouth "relatively" shut. This Christmas I embrace the love of many wonderful friends. I find joy in my volunteer work at the Medical Center. I thank my physical therapists for a return to "normal" exercising and walking. I'm surely glad to be living in Hunterdon County. I'm surely glad to be living at all. But family is Santa's top prize. I really do love you guys. And, by the way, if I could select the way I will depart this world it would be while dancing the polka at Great Grandson Alan's wedding! Meanwhile, I wish all you Newsletter readers a Merry Christmas. Celebrate the holidays with your families and count your blessings. We made it through 2014 with ISIS, Ebola, Enterovirus, terrorists and mor e episodes of T aylor Swift's love life. I hope next year is a blast! I tend to over-complicate things. For example, I spent way too much time trying to get these red and blue poinsettias to look semi-normal together. I'm not even sure if blue poinsettias actually exist in nature. Through the magic of photoshop, here they are. A couple of years ago, I tried to make our December Newsletter politically correct by saying "Happy Holidays". Well, a couple of months later, one of our readers stopped me in person and said, "Please don't ever do that again." I understand where he was coming from. I know that phrase covers all bases, but "Happy Holidays" just seems very ge - neric to me. Do those "holidays" include Arbor Day? The Fourth of July? No. So, with that in mind, we are covering two of those bases above. Please feel free to let us know your opinion by emailing us at: ctnl@comcast.net. As always, we love to hear from you! Over the years at Christmastime, I've learned to (try to) simplify, and also to (try to) relax. Life events have helped. I used to make a big production of mailing out Christmas cards to loved ones, friends and neighbors. When our eldest child ended up deathly ill in the hospital one December, it was amazing how quickly that tradition fell by the wayside. The fact that our son survived and has thrived made me truly and intrinsically appreciate the season. And, I decided, this Newslet - ter that you're holding in your hand (or viewing online) is now my Christmas/Holiday card. To everybody. So, Merry Christmas! Peace! When our children were small, I decided that cutting down our own tree at a Christmas tree farm could be a great new family tradition. Great idea – in theory. The reality was that each of us took off in separate directions (scary), and had five different ideas of the "perfect" tree. Back in the car we returned with the tree, lots of mud, and three irritable kids. Or four, if you count my husband. Okay– to be fair – five, including me. Another year trying to simplify, my like-minded eldest child and I went to Home Depot to buy our Christmas tree. Our thirty-second discus- sion went like this: "How 'bout this one?" "Yep." (It was quite cold). Upon arriving home, Husband and second child argued that the tree was too short. Eldest and I both said, "Then fix it." and walked out of the room. (As you might have guessed, we Flynns tend to get a bit cranky when it comes to dragging trees home.) When we returned a bit later, they had propped the tree and stand atop a small stool, and covered the whole base in beautiful cloth. Suddenly, our pitiful tree looked kind of magnificent. Along the way, I also quit my several-dozen-recipes-Christmas Cookie tradition. Nice idea, too many calories. My current favorite Christmas traditions? Spending time with loved ones and remembering to breathe. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate... and please, don't forget to breathe! D e c e m b e r 2014 EDITOR'S COLUMN b y J u l i e F ly n n Best Christmas Gift of All b y r u t h K e e s i n g –Julie Fl�nn J u l i e F ly n n, e D i t o r Since 1982 T O W N S H I P N C L I N T O N e w s l e t t e r ® To check out our online version of the Newsletter, please visit our website at: www.ClintonTwpNewsletter.com. While you're there, sign up for our monthly email reminders! "If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another." ~Tenzin Gyatso"

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