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COUNTDOWN to completion of 2011 - HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

COUNTDOWN to completion of 2011 - HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

I admit that I am ready for the final COUNTDOWN of 2011 and the dawning of New Year 2012. I do ENJOY the many reviews of a passing year and have been reading, watching and listening to numerous reviews. THANKS for the reviews YOU have shared in comments over the past couple days. We know that when 2011 dawned, we had NO IDEA as to what would be the experiences of the New Year 2011. There have been HUGE SURPRISES & SHOCKS! NOW, one wonders what New Year 2012 will bring.

My life experiences have persuaded me year-by-year to “go with the flow.” I think this is the essence of what The Apostle Paul was describing when he wrote to the Christians in Philippi, “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:…” (See Phil. 4:11 NKJV translation).

I remember the cans of Carnation Evaporated Milk with the "contented cows" trademark in my mother’s kitchen complemented by ads first on radio and later on TV. I knew what a “contented cow” was. Do you remember that slogan and those ads? IF you want to review the story of “CONTENTED COWS” and “Carnation condensed milk,” use this link, “From Contented Cows to CARNATION.” I read with interest.

I was SURPRISED and DISappointed to learn that the “contented cows” slogan is NO LONGER used. My Chat with Carnation online reported that the slogan was dropped as part of label redesign and was NOT able to identify any particular reason. So it goes…

I do NOT understand Paul’s advice to be "content" to mean that I should be passive. Rather, I myself can be “content” and “go with the flow,” but that does NOT mean that I do NOT advocate for and get involved for values/priorities/policies which I believe are FUNCTIONAL and important for WE THE PEOPLE. As I have asserted from time-to-time in my WE THE PEOPLE blog, I choose the identity, “Christian.” I believe that means I have a commitment to values and priorities which represent the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth whom Christians identify as the Christ/Messiah.

Wrapping up this year, I am reminded of the truth which The Apostle James asserted in his Letter, "’Today or tomorrow we will go to the city. We will do business there for a year and make a lot of money!’ What do you know about tomorrow? How can you be so sure about your life? It is nothing more than mist that appears for only a little while before it disappears. You should say, ‘If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things.’” (see Letter of James 4:13-15 CTE Version).

I learned that TRUTH in a very intense way on Friday, the 13th of November 2009 when I went to Dean Urgent Care because of a very severe headache which had kept me up all night. The MRI showed bleeding on my brain, so I was sent to St. Mary’s Hospital ER by ambulance. Early that evening I was undergoing emergency brain surgery. Later that night in ICU my neurosurgeon told me, “John, today was the luckiest Friday, the 13th in your whole life!” TRULY it was. I was blessed with effective surgery and FULL RECUPERATION leaving the hospital a week later… What a blessing!

While I had made plans for those days, I was NOT able to complete them as planned. I did learn the benefit of praying/thinking/saying, “The Lord willing, I will…” This continues to be my perspective as I approach New Year 2012 and the day ahead… day-by-day…

I KNOW that 2012 will be a very significant year in many ways, with the special significance and challenge of our US Presidential & Congressional elections with many state and local elections coming on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. I LOOK FORWARD to 2012 day-by-day… do YOU?

Countdown to 2012… here we go…

Mr. E.

John Eyster lives in the Edgerton area. He is an adjunct professor of political science at UW-Waukesha and an advocate for democracy/civics education in Wisconsin high schools. John is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.