Its a New Year

It's a new year and a year of opportunities. The past year has seen the biggest stock market sell off and crash since the Great Depression. The price of oil has dropped 65%. And in many places unemployment is high and real estate prices are low. I have had partners dissappoint me and in a few cases betray me. I have witnessed by best friend and her husband endure a year of pain and struggles and shared in their pain as she has fought bravely against her battle with cancer. I've seen my children and grandchildren grow up another year. I've endured through great challenges and had tall mountains to scale in my own businesses. We drilled one dry hole and then drilled again and hit oil in another. My best friends are closer to me and my enemies are farther. I've found someone new that fills my days with many smiles and happy thoughts. And I've had to drive more miles this year, than the past four put together. I've lost 13 pounds of body weight. And I've gained a 111 pounds of happiness. I've been knocked down a few times by opponents, but managed to still pick myself up for another fight.

New Years Eve

I spent this evening without a grand party. Just went to dinner next door at the Tulsa Petroleum Club with some friends and came home and enjoyed some new books I got for Christmas.

I had a chance to meet a new friend and put a face with a story, and . . . yes . . .there is a Tom.

A word of encouragement from my friend

My friends Jerry and Julia are departing on Friday for El Salvador to seek a treatment for the cancer which has attacked her over and over and over.

They received an email from a Pastor friend in Uganda that they emailed on to me. I found the words particularly encouraging to me too. I am facing a large struggle myself and see that I should have a new attitude. Both about Julia's treatment and my own struggle with my partners.

Peter in Uganda wrote:
When a farmer prays and expects rain
He goes out and tills his field.
We expect our faithful God to deliver on
His promises, . . . . so prepare for that.

Book the 'champagne and fine wine',
start preparing the guest list,
take a look at the new clothes,
clean up the house, prepare the lawn arrangements,

make sure the garden is in order,
check out prices for the guest list,
work on the thanksgiving speech....
Faith is being certain, sure that God has heard,
God will keep, God will not fail.

There are no ' mights' in faith...only 'wills'.

The Opening of the Money Jar

On the evening of our "late" Christmas, after the gift giving we once again celebrated our new tradition of giving to all the kids my money in the money jug from the year. It's a large water bottle that throughout the year I put all of my change into. I have started a habit a few years ago of always using a bill to pay for anything. So at the end of every day I have a pocket full of change. Sometimes a few dollars. And now it takes me about a year to almost fill it up. Now and then I might even throw in a dollars, or five, or ten or twenty. Sometimes I even put in rolls of coins that have come out of my vending machines here at the hotel. The jug was so full this year, that it took Kenneth and me both to carry it from the car. This years total was about $2,250.00. We all sat on the floor with Jami having the honor of carving the money . . . which means sticking a knife up in the jar to loosen the coins to fall out. And then after we got it all out on a blanket, we sat and had the task of dividing it into pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and even a few dollar coins. The fact that it was over 90% quarters brought a lot of smiles. And then after we had all the coins out, Kenneth was given the task of using chop sticks to get the bills out of the jug.

Two hours later the money was all out and separated and counted and divided up among the kids. Each had brought pillow cases to carry away the "loot". And just as it was last year . . .we all smiled and talked about the vacations that each would use their gift for.

Tomorrow the jug will be back in Tulsa and the process will begin again.

Click here for a short video of the celebration.

Christmas Came late this year

Christmas came a bit late this year for me. Each year, Jami and Emily alternate spending Christmas day with their families, or spending the day with their husband's families. This was the year apart. So we all got together on the Sunday afternoon after Christmas in Fort Worth at their mom's house. Jami and Kenneth and Sophia, and Emily, Bill, Coleton, and Cade, and Katy and their mom . . .and of course Me. Pam was was out commission for the preparations while having to nurse a broken foot back to health but she was able to enjoy it all and watch and see the joy of the children as they opened their gifts.

Everyone was watching the Dallas Cowboys suffer the worst defeat of the year in their last game. And I arrive late after having to stop at JC Penney's and get some new jeans after having spilled coffee on mine during the drive down from Tulsa.

After the game we shared a happy time of gift giving and receiving and laughing and watching the kids glow with delight as they opened each new present. At 19 months this was the first Christmas we all got to watch Sophie actually enjoy the time of tearing paper off.

Christmas December 25, 2008

Since my kids were with in-laws this year, my assistant manager, Debbie McCraw, and I decided to give the front desk staff off today and she and I watched it and took care of the arriving guests.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season. I know that the Secret to getting all I want out of life is in helping others get all that they want.

Later, I will celebrate that non-traditional Christmas day meal at Waffle House with Cheesy Eggs and hash browns. (smiling)

Wuthering Heights

This year brought a few successes. And a few small disappointments. A couple of betrayals. And one Grand failure. One of my favorite books has always been Wuthering Heights. Many don't like it because its such a tale of emotional tragedy. It was . . .and is . . .literature's first dark romantic novel.
It is a tragic story of love scorned and bullying. A man who let adversity turn his heart to stone and in the end was not able to take back Cathy when she realized that he, and he alone was the great love of her life. And tragic for her to spend her whole life, not seeing that a smaller person in life than her was the only one who could fill the void in her heart. In the end, he Heathcliff was left with a cold heart of stone, and his Cathy was left outside the window in the cold begging him to please let her come back in. I hope that I can keep a measure of forgiveness in my heart. And a large portion of Hope. I don't want to become a man with a heart of stone as he did.

The song Wuthering Heights was originally performed by Kate Bush, but my favorite of it is by Hayley Westenra.

Wuthering Heights lyrics

Out On the wiley, windy moors
We'd roll and fall in green
You had a temper, like my jealousy
Too hot, too greedy
How could you leave me
When I needed to possess you?
I hated you, I loved you too

Bad dreams in the night
They told me I was going to lose the fight
Leave behind my wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home
I'm so cold, let me in in-a-your-window
Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home
I'm so cold, let me in in-a-your-window

Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely
On the other side from you
I pine alot, I find the lot
Falls through without you
I'm coming back love, cruel Heathcliff
My one dream, my only master

Too long I roam in the night
I'm coming back to his side to put it right
I'm coming home to wuthering, wuthering
Wuthering Heights

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home
I'm so cold, let me in in-a-your-window
Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy, I've come home
I'm so cold, let me in in-a-your-window

Ooh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
Ooh let me have it, let me grab your soul away
You know it's me, Cathy

Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy come home
I'm so cold, let me in in-a-your-window
Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy come home
I'm so cold, let me in in-a-your-window
Heathcliff, it's me, Cathy come home
I'm so cold

Christmas in Canon in D

Merry Christmas.

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

Canon in D by Trans Siberian Express

Christmas in Sarejevo

Christmas in Sarejevo by the Trans Siberian Express

Pie Jesu

Anyone who knows me well, knows that my newest favorite female vocalist is a young lady from New Zealand by the name of Hayley Westenra. Her first performance that I became acquainted with was of a piece by Andrew Lloyd Webber called Pie Jesu. . .which translated means Jesus, Our Peace. She was 16 years old when she performed this the first time. (by the way, it is pronounced Pee A Hey Su)

I can't watch this video without getting bit teary eyed.

I hope that as you watch and listen to her performance of it, your life will be blessed, you will have a smile on your face, a tear in your eye, and reminder of who is the true and only hope for Peace that mankind has. Both at this Christmas season, and at any other time of the year.

Pie Jesu
performed by Hayley Westenra

Is the world falling apart?

Should we run out and flee to the mountains? Is the whole world crumbling? Are we headed for Chaos and turmoil and political and financial unrest for decades.

There is a time for everything.

And right now is a time to remain calm. Someone Greater than me is in control of it all.

Ecclesiastes 3

Peak Oil. Life after the Crash

This is the most interesting and throughly documented work I've seen on why we need to gain energy independence in the next twenty years. It's also the reason I started investing in oil and gas exploration.

Peak Oil . . . after the Crash.

Caviar

The finest Caviar that money can buy.

These people ship promptly and their Caviar is packed in dry ice. They are excellent vendors of the highest quality reputation.