Christmas Was A Little More Merry This Year

This year Christmas was different in 2015.  First, it was the first time of spending Christmas at home in Minnesota in about a decade.  I don't mind traveling at all, in fact I really enjoy traveling, but traveling at Christmas can really tally up the expenses at time of year when with a higher level of financial requirements.  The other main reason being that I took a new job this past fall and I simply don't have the same amount of time off as I once did.  That really threw a wrench in things, but it was my choosing when I decided to change jobs.

So, the holidays this year started off with a visit to WWE's Monday Night Raw on Monday, December 21st, 2015.  I went with my brother, Chris Savoren, and my cousin, Billy Savoren.  It was a lot of fun and I think this tradition will continue as more RAWs come to town.

I, then, was able to take a vacation day in combination with some overage worked from the prior week to go to my mom's house on Wednesday, December 23rd.  This was the first Christmas my wife and I attended at my mom's since 2014.  Back in early November of this year, shortly after the passing of my late grandfather, people finally came together to sort out some differences.  While not all participants were in attendance, the bulk of the issues, at least everything that involved the people in attendance was sorted out.  I knew it would come together if people would just make the time to sit down and talk.  It really only took about an hour or so to patch up some differences that affected relationships for 13 months.  The sad reality with technology of our current era is that everything can get misinterpreted easily and also very quickly.  If something is in all CAPS then people think they being yelled at.  If someone says one thing, and it is read in a different way from a different viewpoint, then a conflict has started.  It is really sad because it can make the world so lonely and conflicted.

This blog did contribute to the issues that occurred this past year within my family.  However, I don't regret it and I don't regret it for a couple of reasons.  The first being that it brought people together to discuss some very tough issues that have been avoided for over two decades.  The second reason is because this blog has allowed me to express my feelings in forum where I was able to do it uninterrupted.  Many of the topics that caused the issues, often times were not allowed to be discussed or off the table.  Had I not started this blog, all these feelings would've been kept inside still eating at me, which is not healthy.

The lesson here today is that it is okay to sit down and talk about differences.  If it is done respectfully and if people keep an open mind, then all viewpoints and opinions can be shared, seen, and heard.  I will continue to be honest about my feelings with this blog.  I will also continue to do it respectfully.  If respect is not maintained, then it is suddenly a behavior.  If a behavior is occurring then the reactions of that behavior becomes the focus, instead of the topic at hand.

So, Christmas was a much better version in 2015 than 2014.  I reunited with some family, I got to spend a Christmas at home, and some long lasting issues were maybe not totally resolved, but there is a much better understanding on everyone's views.

I love my wife.  I love my dogs.  I miss and think about my grandma and grandpa everyday since my grandpa, Ellsworth Thomey, passed away in late October.  Please watch over me grandma and grandpa.

One last plug.  Make sure to check out the Bjorn Jobnson Internet Program podcast as I will be a guest on the podcast in the near future.  It was a lot of fun talking with Bjorn and it is a great way to get to know even more about me.  If you have an iPhone or iPad, click on the Podcast App, open it, and search the Bjorn Johnson Internet Program.  It's easy.

If I didn't get a chance to see you during that holiday season, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.  I will see you soon.

#merrychristmas