The Final Hometown View of 2017

Today I put the bow on another year of Hometown Views as this is my final segment of 2017.

Starting tomorrow it’s all about the 34^th annual WOBM Christmas Classic which begins its six-day holiday run at what is now going to be known as the RWJBarnabas Health Arena.  It’s an event that as you likely know means quite a bit to me personally and is much more than just a basketball tournament.

So we start tomorrow, take Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off and run right through December 30^th.  I will take a few days off after that and won’t be back until the second week of January so today is it for a while.

It is truly hard to believe that it’s been 12 months since I last wished you all the best in 2017 and that period has been filled with good times and bad, joy and sorrow and laughter and tears.  I have learned as you get older that days, weeks, months and years fly by at an alarming rate and while you can’t stop Father Time each year you get to add another number to your age has in the end been a good one.

2017 allowed us to bring new friends (and for some new family members) into our lives but like every year had me and you saying goodbye to others.  Words my father shared often have indeed proved very prophetic: the worst part about getting older is you know more people who have died.  Sadly he was right on and this past year was another example of that.

I’m not much into New Year’s resolutions because for the most part you’re just setting yourself up for failure.  I’ll set the bar low and say that if I’m sharing my thoughts and views with you a year from now than 2018 was pretty good.

For now I will simply wish you peace and joy throughout the holiday season, a very Merry Christmas and all the best life can offer in the New Year.  I am well aware that this is not a good time of year for everyone as it’s more a reminder of what they don’t have.

Let’s all keep that in mind and go out of our way to try and make a difference in the lives of others. After all it is better to give than receive.