Now that the temps are low and the days are shorter many of us have more time on our hands than we know what to do with. This is the time of the year I hate worst of all. I don’t mind the cold or even the shorter days but the lack of things to do. I actually have a honey do list a half mile long but really do not care to even look at it. These are projects that give me little satisfaction and many I just keep putting off because I think they’re a waste of time. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat.

One thing I have been trying to do is get out and enjoy the company of friends and family I have not been able to see much of during the summer months. Many of my friends do not ride so we don’t see as much of each other during the summer since I spend as much time as I can in the saddle. It’s not that we don’t have as much in common, it’s just I enjoy riding too much. I’ll bank on it; a lot of you are the same way.

Well now we should have the time to sit back and catch up on what has been happening in each others lives. I know I have missed the bull sessions and partying with old friends that have for one reason or another chosen a slightly different path than I have in life. We all do this after awhile. We meet new people and find new things to keep us occupied, so we lose touch with the friends we have had for years. The one thing about this though is that even when we’ve been away from each other for months and we get back together it is like things are the way they used to be. Not much has changed and we get along just as well and as close of friends as we’ve always have been.

You all have friends like these I’m sure. It’s the friends like this, that if not seen or talked to for a long time but when called will be the first to help you out or just seem to always have the time for the friendly bull sessions like in the old days. These are the friends that make their real mark on your life and are never far out of mind no matter where you are.

I have a friend I still keep in touch with from all the way back in kindergarten. Yes I know. How can I remember that far back into the stone ages? I’ve heard it before. But when you have somebody that is a true friend and willing to except you for who you are and are willing to forgive you if you make mistakes they seem to stay in your life forever.

The biggest thing among real friends is not to try and change each other but to find the things in each other that are good and work with that. I know I have made plenty of mistakes over the years as many of my friends have as well. When we apologize then get over it and put it behind us though we grow closer and stronger as friends and individuals.  Some of my screw ups have been major and some minor. Some were because of stupidity other major ones when I became addicted to prescription medications. I regret all of them but with forgiveness from good friends it’s much easier to get beyond the mistakes and try to do better in the future.

If you’ve made some mistakes in your life take the time to go back and apologize for

them. If the other person or persons do not want to listen it is not your loss but theirs. We

all screw up and do things we are not proud of or wished we could have done

differently. Try to make this the year you step up and try to do the right thing. It will

make you a stronger, better person inside. At least this way you were big enough to

humble yourself and admit you screwed up. If they choose not to listen or continue to

hold a grudge then so be it. Nothing will change that but at least you made the effort to

make things better. Try our best is all any of us can do and remember nobody is perfect.

I’d like to thank Josh Hammer and his family for their support of our troops. Josh and his

family did the same thing as my family this year for Christmas. They decided not to

exchange gifts among themselves. Instead they took their Christmas money and

purchased gifts to send to our troops. Thank you and your family Josh for your generous

gift of friendship and support to our soldiers so far from home.

God bless,

Preacher

preacher@roadwheeler.com