Today is my first anniversary of blogging. I can safely say my world and my life has changed considerably since I began. I have learned a lot, laughed a lot and shed tears with all of you…….in the process your comments left on each post went from strangers to friends I feel I know very well. I may not have a face to go with the name but we have touched each other’s hearts in many ways.

My thanks to John and Becky…….and all of you for your encouragement and help. I finally became independent enough that I no longer had to make frenzied calls to John to help me out of a jam. Becky was available after working hours to steer me away from mysterious places I found myself in. The computer has become a friend and is no longer the puzzle it once was, at least for the basic needs. As I post today, the site meter had 7,787 registered. You have amazed me with your interest in our family’s history……and some of my editorials here and there.

I have a lot to learn and I love learning. So with that said, I’m re-posting the blog written a year ago and I’ll see you back here tomorrow….good Lord willing.

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By way of introduction I am John and Becky Strain’s mom. When events happen I reach for a pen. I hope to leave a light along the trail for all who follow. So come along as we light the fires of inspiration…..

What a wonderful way to start a new year. I am finally joining John and Becky with my own blog. You may know me as “Mom” from comments made in their comment section. I hope in the months ahead we will all grow to know each other better.

I am a retired Driver Examiner from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. I enjoyed 17 ½ years with them as a clerk and then examiner. I retired when I was 65-years old, having been widowed earlier that year. After retirement I worked part-time at a local Antique Barn when an unexpected event took place in my life.

I met my high-school sweet-heart at a class reunion after forty years. We later married and have been very happy. One never knows what fate will produce even in the most surprising circumstances. Life has a way of surprising us with choices we never dreamed of. Take hold and hang on……..

Since this year has just begun I would like to close with a poem I found in one of my mother’s diaries. She made the entry on January 1, l974. Later that same year she lost my Dad and her own mother. Her inspirational readings gave her the strength to accept the inevitable.

A year is but a moment as the
Ages reckon time,
With us it is a volume, be it
Real or pantomime.
There is so much we must record
Before the hour grows late,
Of love, friendship, trust or doubt
But let’s forget our hate.

My mother lived 87 years and was a gentle spirit.
Essentially Esther