Not only are the holidays coming up (and rather quickly), but also the anniversary of my father's death.   That means a few trips to Alabama in the next month and a half.

Next week is <strong>Thanksgiving.</strong>.. ah, Turkey day.  The family gathered around a table of massive amounts of food and of course... football.  But I think like most holidays, the meaning keeps getting lost.  We should enjoy the time with our families and our friends.  All of our loved ones.  Be thankful for what we have and most importantly who we have in our lives.

We get caught up in our everyday lives (me included) and forget about what's really important.  It's not all of the stuff we have amassed... no matter how small or how big.  Or how much we brag (that would be me) or how little we brag (that would not be me)...  But it's about people in our lives.  I know that without my family and my friends, I would really be sad, lost and lonely.

I really do love all of you, my family and my friends.  I sometimes can't say it enough and at other times feel like I say it too much... but can we really say it too much?

In my MySpace surveys, there always seems to be a question "What is your biggest regret?"  Normally, I don't give any, but I do have a big regret... not telling my dad that I loved him enough ... or even at all.  I don't know if it's some man thing where we both knew that it was understood... but after his death in 2000... it really hit home that I never took time out to say "I love you, Dad."  And that, I do regret.  It's been almost 7 years since his death and I still miss him so much.  If you haven't seen it already, I have a<a href="http://tribute.mmolenda.com" target="_blank"> tribute site</a> up for him.  Take some time and look at it.  He was such an amazing man.  He left big shoes to fill.  I am still trying to fill them.

Then, the next thing will be <strong>Christmas</strong>.  Already Wal-Mart has a nice sign displaying the number of shopping days until Christmas.  It's not even Thanksgiving, yet.  Though, I do love giving gifts to my family (I don't normally exchange with friends... my family is large enough to kill my finances!!!) and yes, I do like to receive... Christmas has become way too commercial.  Companies and retailers count on Christmas dollars to finance a large part of their year...

But that is not what Christmas is about.  For my Christian brothers and sisters, it is about the birth of Christ.  The giving of gifts came from the 3 wisemen who came to find Christ and offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and Myrrh... and that has gone to Cars and fur coats and jewelry... I have no problem with the giving/receiving of gifts... as long as we don't lose sight of why we are giving and receiving these gifts...

But also, like Thanksgiving, Christmas is a time to celebrate with our family and friends.

So, this holiday season, remember <strong>what</strong> we are celebrating and <strong>why</strong> we are celebrating.  I know that this year, I won't and can't forget...

Peace and love to you all!