What's Your Plan For 2011 . . . I Have A Suggestion

It's New Years Day. Well, it is almost almost New Year's Day. It is also almost my birthday. You see New Year's Day and my birthday are one and the same. Both are great occasions to reflect a little on what has transpired since the last New Year's Day and in my case my last birthday.

I really can't say that anything unusual or particularly exciting occurred. Well, that's not entirely true. After all my youngest daughter presented me with a grandson and that is exciting. In fact he has been pretty much the center of attention these past several months. That by itself makes 2010 a successful year.

Personally I am not to big on reflecting on the past except for nostalgic reasons. The past is just that, the past.

New Year's Day and for me, my birthday, should be spent looking forward. I think it was Beecher who said that "every man should be born again on the first day of January . . . let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front . . ." Or as the great Apostle said, "forgetting those things that are past I press on . . ."

That is what I suggest we all do today. Face the future with a determination to make the year that lies before us as happy and prosperous as possible. To that end I have a suggestion.

Recently I was in conversation with a friend and told him that my father had taught me how to die and that another friend who is now gone taught me the real meaning of giving. His response was, "Isn't that what life really is about . . . giving?"

You know, he is right. The only way to make 2011 really happy and successful is to give of yourself. Scripture is not in error when it says, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Let me suggest that you determine that in 2011 you find some way to give of yourself. That may involve making some financial gifts. These will no doubt be needed and are important to meeting some of the human needs around you. More importantly it should involve giving of yourself and that means taking time for others.

Don't waste your time looking for someone worthy of your help. No one is worthy and the truth is neither are you and I. It is not a question of worthiness but of need. God Himself modeled this truth for us when he loved us while we were still sinners and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sin. He did not give us what our worthiness had earned but rather He gave us what we needed. We are to do likewise. I still hear Jesus' words to the woman caught in adultery, "neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." Ours is not to pass judgement . . . ours is to offer redemption (the help needed).

Call me deluded call me an idealist I really don't mind because I really do believe that if we would all light one little candle in the darkness that fills so many of our friends and neighbor's lives what a wonderful world this could be.

Some Thoughts on My Christmases

It is the time of year that Paul McCartney calls that "Wonderful Christmas Time" and I agree. For me Christmas has always been a wonderful time.

When I was a child it was a a wonderful time because I was out of school and anticipated a day certain when I would get something special for me. Indeed, I still enjoy viewing the old tattered photos and reliving Christmases past. In fact, I loved Christmas so much that when Susan and I married it was at Christmas time.

It was also a time when I knew we would all gather at my aunt's house as an extended family. Family members would come from all over to be a part. All of my father's brothers and sisters would be there as would all my cousins. As I grew older the gathering grew larger as our children and those of my cousins joined the gathering. We would exchange gifts, sing hymns and carols of the season and end the day with the reading of the Biblical account of the birth of Christ.

It all made for a "Wonderful Christmas Time." For me however, the wonderful part of it all was the coming together of the Appleby clan. It was a recognition that while we all lived our own individual lives and had our own families we were everyone part of a larger family that shared a common heritage of faith and hope. It was a sad day for me when this gathering ended. In a lot of ways I have always hoped for a rebirth of this Appleby Family Tradition.

(Someone recently mentioned to me that maybe in our electronic age we could do the same thing using Skype or some other electronic hook-up. Sorry, it may be the best we can do in our day but it just isn't the same. Reaching out and touching an image on a screen is just not my idea of family.)

When I had children of my own I again relived these childhood days through watching my children come Christmas morning to the tree in anticipation that old Saint Nick had been there and left something special just for them. Christmas seems to bring out the child in all of us and watching my children around the tree Christmas morning searching for gifts with their names on them was like being a child again myself.

Well, the years have come and the years have gone and I have celebrated 63 Christmases and have yet to be disappointed. These days it is not the gifts that come in brightly wrapped packages. In fact I don't believe it ever was about the brightly wrapped packages. It has always been about the people and our relationships . . . family and how important we are to one another.

This Christmas gathering was a reaffirmation that we were Appleby's one and all and that we shared a common Christian heritage that extended back for generations and was to be perpetuated in our own lives and individual families.

Don't get me wrong. I still love Christmas time. Just wish it weren't so much about the gifts. What I really wish is that there was some way to recapture some of what we had back then. I don't really believe that we can recreate the experiences but I do believe we could make a little more effort in providing an environment in which our children and grandchildren can experience something similar to what was such a meaningful influence in our own lives.

With that said, I wish for you and yours a . . .

Very Merry Christmas!

Why I Prefer "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays."

I prefer the greeting "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays." In my judgement "Merry Christmas" more clearly expresses the core meaning of the season we celebrate in December. Now before you jump all over me about swallowing and elephant and straining at a gnat let me explain my thinking.

First let me say that I am very much aware that the term holiday is a contraction between the word holy and the word day and has as its original meaning holy days and as such "Happy Holidays" was a greeting with strong religious undertones. However, the etymology of the word is not as important as its contemporary usage. Today the word "holiday" has virtually no vestiges of its original meaning left. Instead it has become a term used to refer to any and all holidays. President's Day is a "holiday;" Independence Day is a "holiday;" and in my Australian friends refer to their vacations as "being on holiday."

Now Christmas is a holiday but for the Christian it is that and so very much more. It is a holiday that has its roots in the birth of Jesus Christ. Indeed the whole holiday exists because Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Now some might claim that the Christmas holiday season is fraught with elements that have nothing to do with Christ's birth and I would have to agree. Somewhere along the way at various points of history some "pagan" celebrations were baptized and incorporated in the Christmas tradition as we celebrate it today. This includes things such as Christmas trees, yule logs etc. Even more elements (many fictional) were added in the 1800's and early 19thy century.

I am also aware that the Christmas season has become a major part of our economic landscape. Many businesses owe there finical health and some even their survival to the days leading up to and including Christmas. Hence there is an enormous economic element tied to the celebration of Christ's birth in our economy.

I have no major quarrel with any of these but in my mind all of those are irrelevant because they are nothing more than nice addendum to the principle reason for the Christmas season and that is the birth of Jesus. You can strip all of these away an still have Christmas. If you remove the Christian core from the holiday season all you have left is a meaningless commercial event. However, when all these addendum are stripped away the one thing left to be celebrated is the birth of Christ.

It is important to me that the core purpose of the Christmas season and that the word "Christmas" it's self doesn't, as the word holiday has, loose its meaning. Merry Christmas reminds us that we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Christ, the son of the Living God and Savior of man. No other seasonal greeting communicates the core meaning of the holiday season.

So with that I say, Merry Christmas to all.

Thoughts at Thanksgiving

My signature verse for more years than I care to remember is Philippians 1:3-4, "I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for you, I always pray with joy." The reason I chose this verse as my signature verse is drawn from the belief that every person who has touched my life has helped shape me into the person that I am. They have all become a part of, as Edith Schaffer said in her biography of her husband, the Tapestry of my life.

I am truly thankful for every person who has come into my life. Naturally this includes the parents who gave me life and nurtured me through childhood. Many, if not all, of my core belief came from watching and listening to them as they lived their lives before me. Virtues, like loyalty, keeping confidences, bull dog tenacity and forgiveness, were learned from them. I learned that failing and making mistakes did not make me a failure if I learned from them. Today I am thankful for the parents to which God gave me. I rise up an praise them.

I am thankful for my wife. She has been my friend and lover since the days of our youth. She has stood by me even when I made mistakes and bone-headed decisions. During the early years of ministry she was without question a helpmate par excel lance and is a comfort in my old age. I cannot even imagine my life without her in it. "many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."

I am thankful for the children that God brought into our home. Each one has brought joy to my heart and have made me proud as they have grown to adulthood. I am also grateful for the brood of grandchildren that they have presented me. It many ways "my quiver is full" and I am blessed.

For friends both old and new. You have brought joy and heartache but through it all you have helped me become a better person. I am especially thankful for those who have loved and cared for me through bad times. You will never know how much you have helped when I, like Humpty Dumpty, fell and broke into what seemed a million pieces. You enabled me to pick up the pieces, put it back together and go forward. You have shown me the love of God and I thank you for being my friend.

I am even thankful for the enemies I have had along the way. To be sure you are a small group and I wished that you did not exist at all. However, along the way I have found a few who befriended my only to do me harm - who took delight in my falling - who offered no uplifting word or hand. I am thankful for you because you too have helped shape my life. I've learned to have a tough hide and a tender heart.

But most of all I am thankful for a God who is both personal, faithful and involved; A God who loves me and redeemed me; A God who orders my steps and feels my infirmities; A God who picks me up when I fall; and a God who will one day welcome me into His eternal presence.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High: To show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night" - Psm 92:1-2

Let us give thanks for we are truly blessed

TSA's Dog and Pony Show

I recently read an article by recently retired airline pilot Robert Herbst entitled TSA's Dog and Pony Show. (To read his article go to http://www.travelpulse.com/) In the article he clearly defends the need for airport security but says what we have in TSA is nothing short of a poorly managed and out of control government jobs program which is costing billions of dollars in tax payer money and at the same time giving TSA employees the power/right to grope your body and harass anyone they choose without legitimate reasons or repercussions for doing so. I might add that failure to comply can result in serious complications for the person being subjected to these invasions of person.

In response to these charges top TSA officials simply reply (1) that rules and regulations (not law) allow them to do body searches no matter how invasive they are and that (2) only a small portion of the flying population will be subject to these searches.

So much for the "land of the free and the home of the brave." Little by little we are being moved by our fear. One thing FDR got right was that the "only thing we have to fear is fear itself." As we give way to our fears we find ourselves sacrificing not only our freedom but also our Constitutional rights.

I just finished listening to John Pistole, head of TSA and Janet Nepolitano, head of Homeland Security and Pistole's boss essentially say that safety must always comes before privacy, freedom and rights (I assume both human and constitutional rights). I also heard the Secretary of State say she would avoid such searches. My guess is she like the two other officials and all Senators and Congressmen are exempt from such searches. So she probably has little to worry about in this regard.

This is not just an issue of inconvenience or privacy. It goes to the core of our American heritage. It is not just striping our clothing from us but the very things that make us unique people in the world.

Where would we be today if our founding father's had caved in to their fears of the British hangman's noose and failed to form this more perfect union we call the United States of America or our forefathers and fathers had refused to defend our constitution (Nation) against aggression because they were afraid? We simply cannot allow government to use our fear of terrorist to rob us of our rights.

And as for the argument that only a few people will have to go through these searches I can only quote Jesus when he said, When you have done it unto one of these the least of my brethren you have done it unto me." And we need to remember the famous warning of Martin Niemoller, "When the Nazi's came for the communist I remained silent for I was not a communist; when they locked up the Social Democrats I kept silent, I was not a social democrat; When they came for the trade unionists I did not speak out, I was not a trade unionist; When they came for the Jews I remained silent, I was not a Jew; When they came for me there was no one left to speak out.

I want as safe a flying environment as can be had. At the same time I want that safety to come as the result of effective and sane procedures and not the "Dog and Pony Show" with which we must now contend. The cost of freedom is eternal vigilance. We must watch our enemies closely but we must also keep a mindful eye on well intentioned friends lest we cease to be "the land of the free and the home of the brave."

What are your thoughts?

Fun Was Had By All

Well, the much anticipated 45th Reunion of the Pasadena High School Class of 1965 has come and gone. The consensous seems to be that it was the best ever. I cannot vouch for that since the only other one I attended was the 25th. What I do know is that it was the best one I have attended and it far exceeded my expectations even though I am not really sure what I expected.

For starters, the venue was absolutely perfect. I did not work with the arrangements but I did benefit from the work of those who did. The Hospitality room was great though it could have been larger; the main event room was more than adaquate; and, by the time the folks in charge of decorations were finished I thought we could just push back the tables and have a "sock-hop." The food was really good and in plenty of supply. If someone left hungry it certainly was because of the lack of good food.

But as much as I liked the venue, the decorations and the food, those where not the things that caused me to come away from the experience wishing it would last a little longer. It was something that for lack of a better word was "spiritual." After 45 years of living our separate lives this group of classmates from 1965 came together and it was almost as if we had never been apart.

I have spent the better part of my life observing people. I have often said that I as I sat in the Mall I saw love born and watched love die. On this night I had a grand time watching and participating in what appeared to me to be a miracle as my high school classmates interacted with one another. It was a sight to behold.

What was it that welled up within us and brought tears as we looked into the faces of classmates no longer among us? For me it was the sense that in their passing something of myself had been lost. What caused a sense of pride in us as Wilson had our classmates who had served in our Armerd Forces introduce themselves? When I heard those introductions I thought about how the Vietnam war had affected our class and I wondered about the lives not lived by classmates who died in Vietnam. But none of this was what made this gathering significant to me.

As I spoke with classmates and listened to conversation of others I became very much aware of the variety of paths we had traveled since we graduated from high school in May of 1965. The life experiences were as varied as the people present. Yet the relationships born in those early days have not been diminished by the separation caused by time and space. It seems we just picked up where we had left off. It was, as I said above, almost as if we had never been apart.

I still cannot define it but somehow I am drawn to these people. People I really do not know that well (maybe that's part of it) and who we see infrequently if at all between reunions just seem to be a major part of who I am.

Two books have been major contributors to my life. One, the Bible and the other The Tapestry: The Life and Times of Francis Schaefer by Edith Schaefer. The former is my guide for spiritual development and living life. The latter brought home to me the concept that our lives are the product of all the people who have touched our lives. Each a weaving in the tapestry of our life. For reasons I don't fully understand the Pasadena High School's Class of 1965 is apparently a weaving so vital that it is attached to my core person and I am the better because of it.

I am already pumped for the 50th . . . besides, most of us will still be under 70 even if it is a matter of a few months.

Just read where the mass market (or as they like to say, Contemporary) cruise line is testing add on charges for steaks and lobster in the main dining rooms. The only reason this is news is because cruise lines have generally promoted themselves as "almost" all inclusive. Virtually every sales meeting I have attended with the cruise lines I was given a chart that showed why a cruise was a better buy than a land vacation. These list always stated that the cruise was a better buy because the price of the cruise included food, transportation, entertainment and lodging.

To be sure alcohol, soft drinks, shore excursions, specialty restaurants cabanas were all charged for but the basic cruise (food, transportation, lodging and entertainment) were all included in the cruise fare. In fact one of the jokes in the industry was that passengers when they get home have sticker shock because the restaurants actually had prices in the menus.

Being the suspicious soul that I am I have a notion that maybe, just maybe the cruise line "bean counters" have seen how the airline industry has benefited from their new "fee" structure and now think it is a good idea for the cruise industry. The day may not be far off before they start charging you for your coffee on the Lido deck, your chairs on the balcony, the robe in your closet, life jacket in your room, etc.

What I really see is that Carnival may be trying to redefine what constitutes a basic cruise. If and when cruises becomes a la carte I will be recommending resort vacations instead of cruises.

Right now -- Today -- cruising at all levels is the best buy for your vacation dollar but when it takes on the business model of the airlines I'll be recommending taking an uncomfortable flight to an exotic destination where the resort industry will give you the one thing a cruise cannot and that's an in depth visit to a destination.

Sure hope I am wrong . . . . What do you think?

Tell Me it Is So!

Southwest Airlines pending government approval has purchased AirTran. If and when this deal goes through it will eventually led to new options for flights to the Caribbean. AirTran presently has routes to Aruba; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Montego Bay, Jamaica; (yea), San Juan, P.R.; Cozumel and Cancun, MX; and Nassau, Bahamas. Presumably Southwest will continue those routes as a part of it's commitment to "near" international service. It is also expected that flights to these destinations will add Houston Hobby and Dallas Love Fields to its airports from which these destinations can now be reached either directly or through connecting flights from Atlanta, Orlando and Baltimore.

But not only is it good news because of route access, it is good news because it is an established fact of the industry that when Southwest goes head-to-head with legacy airlines such as American, Continental and Delta airfare go down across the board.

Oh yea, another great thing about the merger is that Southwest has already committed to keeping its "Bags Fly Free" policy and is extending it to all the routes obtained in the AirTran system. They will also be converting all former AirTran flights to "open seating." Existing Boing 717's in the AirTran fleet will be converted to facilitate the open seating concept.

From where I see things this may be one of the happier announcements from any airline. You can be sure that given a choice this cowboy will be flying Southwest Airlines! Way to go Southwest!

Greetings from the Liberty of the Seas

We spent a delightful day aboard Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas. This ship has it all. From rock walls and flow-riders to quiet corners for those who just want to get away.

This is a Freedom Class ship and until the Oasis of the Seas (another RCCL ship) she was the largest cruise ship ever built with 15 decks she accommodates more than 4,300 passenger and 1,300 crew members. She is big, bold and beautiful.

But what I liked best about here was the fact that she in multi-generational. There is something for everyone from age 1-101. There are all the things RCCL for which RCCL is famous: Ice Rink, flow-rider, best children and youth programs at sea. It would be hard for a family to go wrong on this ship. Oh yes, and the food was great.

If there is a down-side to this ship it is the fact that like so many of the contemporary (formerly we called them mass market) cruise lines they nickle and dime you to death. Don't take a cruise on this ship or any other that appeals to the mass market thinking it is all-inclusive. It is not. You will pay extra for specialty coffees (RCCL things Seattle's best is a specialty coffee), all alcohol drinks, soft drinks, specialty dinning rooms, room service during the late night hours and a whole range of other things. Understand this going in you'll have a great cruise.

If you have sailed on this ship tell us what you think.

It Makes My Blood Boil

Society generally assigns responsibility for decision making in stages. From birth through 16 your parents make decisions for you; from 17-21 (18 if you are female) you are granted some additional responsibilities in decision making that do not require parental consent; after 21 you are totally responsible for all your decisions be they wise or be they unwise. However, is there ever a time when because of advanced age and diminished capacity you are not responsible for your decisions? Are are there circumstances under which such responsibility is reduced, diminished or abrogated?

Before you answer consider this: The fastest growing crime in America is defrauding the elderly. Malicious low-life's take advantage of the elderly to access their savings and lines of credit through a whole range of schemes that include phony sweepstakes & lotto's, charities, and a wide-range of other schemes. When it is all said and done these people are out their money and have virtually no recourse to recover their losses.

Beyond the despicable human vermin who perpetrate these scams there is the seeming lack of concern on the part of financial institutions (I suspect that Western Union is used more than any other to transfer these monies) and/or law enforcement. I cannot believe that they cannot find and prosecute these vermin. To my way of thinking they are at least equally as despicable as pedophiles and deserve to be treated no better.

I don't want to limit the right of the elderly to handle their own affairs. I do think that something needs to be done to rid the earth of these human (I would call them animals but I don't want to denigrate the animals) parasites. What do you think?

Why I Choose To Cruise

"I need a vacation!" Ever said that? I have. In my more than 35 years as a Baptist pastor I have said it often. Usually it is nothing but a safe way of saying the pressures of day-to-date life at work or home is getting too intense. Often we say it in jest but I believe there is more than a grain of truth in it because, "I do need a vacation!" I mean a "real" vacation . . . not some weekend getaway but a real vacation.

I am convinced that there is a direct correlation between taking vacations and our physical and mental well-being. There has been a myriad of studies going back to the 1940's that indicate this is the case. However, I don't need a study to tell me that I need a vacation because my gut will do that.

I have discovered that my mind and body react to lifestyle stresses and that a vacation is good for both. That's why I need a vacation. However, I have also learned over that taking a vacation can create it's own set of stresses . . . especially if it is a "family" vacation. But I'll save that discussion for another day because right now I really do need a vacation and for me that means a cruise.

I choose cruise vacations because while most are not truly "all-inclusive" they are "just about everything is included" and there is something about the sea that beckons and calms. Coffee just taste better no matter what the brand from your balcony overlooking the vastness of the ocean.

I'm not talking about one of those amusement park cruises. Now don't miss understand, I am not denigrating those cruises. I still take those kinds of cruises but what I want is a real "golden age of sailing" cruise where I can enjoy good food and conversation; quiet walks and private moments with the love of my life; explore exotic ports of call with both new and old friends.

The more I think about not only do I need a vacation . . . I want a vacation! I think I'll give my travel consultant a call. Oh yea, that's me.

It Was Really Among The Best Years of My Life.

A week or so I spoke about my deciding to attend my 45th High School Reunion and how I arrived at the decision to attend. Since graduation from Pasadena High School 45 years ago I have graduated from three Universities and Seminaries. All three of these institutions hold reunions and Alumni gatherings but none has a hook in my heart like the PHS Class of 1965.

It is fascinating to me the impact that those high school years have had on my life. To be sure, I did not know all 470 of my fellow graduates who walked across that platform in the Old Memorial Stadium across from the First Baptist Church and I did not participate in every activity available in my High School days. And yet, I recall with fondness virtually everything about those days. I would not say they were the best years of my life but they certainly rank up there with the best.

However, since deciding to attend the October 30th reunion I have been thinking about the direction our lives (mine and my classmates) have taken since that night when we walked across that platform and received those diplomas.

Of the 470 fellow graduates of the PHS Class of 1965 forty-four of us (almost 10% of our class) have completed their journey and are no longer among us. Some died young. I often wonder their lives would have been had they not left us so young. Others fought and lost battles with disease and a few in tragic accidents. I feel diminished by their passing.

Many of us went on to attend colleges and universities. Most of us found careers in which we have been to some degree successful. Others of us have struggled with life. Some have been blessed materially while some of us have managed to "get by." High school sweethearts married and some of us are still married to each other today. Many of us became dad's and mom's and have now graduated to grandparents. We represent virtually every aspect of American society and culture.

But the irony of my life has been that in spite of all that has happened in our lives since that evening in May of 1965 and sometimes in spite of what has happened since my fondest memories are of those days spent with my 470 classmates at Pasadena High School and you the Class of 1965. If I remember correctly our class song was "Moments to Remember" and remember them we do. I can still hear the Four Lads as they sing the song.

What was it about those days of our youth that so embedded them in my life. Was it because it was a simpler more innocent time. I have often said that my father, (who spent his childhood in the shadow of WWI; As a youth endured the Great Depression and; As man flew war planes over Europe from 1943-1945 during WWII), lived in the "Best and Worst of Times." In contrast I believe my high school years and the years that followed were the "best of times."

I really don't know why those days and these people are so near and dear to me --- I just know that they are. It is one of the mysteries of my life that I feel this fondness toward people many of whom I only casually knew in those days and have not seen since. Maybe after the 45th reunion I will come away with a better understanding . . . but somehow I rather doubt it. What I do know is this: I am thankful to God that I began my journey in life with this group of people. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Perhaps that's it . . . it was during those years and with these people that i realized my journey in life had begun in earnest . . . maybe.

Travel Insurance - To Buy or Not to Buy

Most people don't buy travel insurance because they either don't believe their going to need it (a gamble) or they believe that their present insurance and credit card assistance plans will protect them. I wish that any of it were true. A careful reading these plans provisions may surprise you as to what IS NOT included. Even in the best and most generous plans there are serious gaps in coverage.

First, your employer provided insurance does not cover trip cancellation, trip interruption, missed travel connections, lost luggage and/or trip delays. These are common issues that Trip Insurances Plans addresses directly. It only takes one trip to the airport to realize that your trip can be ruined events beyond your control. Missed flights, delayed flights, cancelled flights or bad weather on travel.

Second, while your credit card assistance program may ARRANGE for emergency medical evacuation it probably does not cover the actual medical cost associated with the evacuation or the evacuation itself. Travel or Trip Insurance directly addresses these issues and provides 24/7 assistance as well.

Even when health insurance does cover "out of country" expenses it probably will require you to pay out of pocket for medical expenses and then apply for reimbursement and all the out of provider network provisions will apply. Medicare does not provide any coverage outside the USA!

Don't get caught unprepared. When your travel consultant recommends trip insurance accept their advice and get the trip insurance. They have seen the loss suffered by clients who didn't and they are trying to help you avoid a similar fate.

My High School Reunion

In a few weeks I will be attending my high school graduating class's 45 year Reunion. Unlike the previous reunions, none of which I attended except the 25th, I will be attending this one.

I suppose the main reason for not going to past reunions was that I only received an invitation to one. Yep, you guessed it, it was the 25th -- the only reunion I ever attended. But I doubt that was the real reason why I didn't attend, albeit it is hard to attend meetings you don't know about.

But even when I did finally get the invitation I fought a battle within myself as to whether to attend or not to attend. Seems like a simple thing doesn't it. Either you do or you do not want to attend. Well, it wasn't that simple for me.

I really did want to attend. However, at some level because I'd never received an invitation (I was a pretty public figure then and easily located) I felt a little "unwanted." Now that was a paranoia on my part perhaps born of my own insecurities.

Then there was the was the corollary to the paranoia that kept telling me that no one at the reunion would remember me. After all, I was pretty vanilla in those days. Additionally, I was pretty sure my best friend in High School wouldn't be there. Not only would no one know me I figured I wouldn't recognize anyone there. After all they were all getting old now. No, when the invitation arrived I'd send it back with the biographical information and be done with it.

Well, the invitation arrived and with a little encourage from my wife to "man up" I filled out the forms, signed the checks for the fees and mailed it that same day. So much for the battle.

The day of the reunion came and we checked into the Houstonian Hotel and had an absolutely wonderful time. To be sure some folks didn't remember me but many did. My best friend wasn't there but I made some new friends. But more importantly an odd feeling came over me that was a mixture of joy and regret that produced as resolution to not equivocate next time I had a chance to see the people with whom I shared some of the Best Years of My Life.

So I am all registered and paid to attend the 45th Reunion of the PHS Class of 1965 and I still have some of those old anxieties. But I am nervously, no excitedly, looking forward to October 30 when once more in spite of the 45 intervening years I shall be magically transported back to a simpler and wonderful time we called our high school days at Pasadena Senior High.

If your a PHS class of 1965 alumni visit our class web page and register for this years reunion. Make this one less thing about which to have regrets. http://www.classreport.org/usa/tx/pasadena/phs/1965/

I hear more and more people saying that the "bad" economy they just can't afford or are afraid to take a vacation. Instead, they are opting for close to home trips commonly referred to as "Staycations." These, in general mean taking a picnic lunch to a local theme park, zoo, historical site, etc. I don't want to minimize these because they are certainly things that you should avail yourself of as often as possible. But the truth is, they are just that, local attraction available on virtually any day at a moment's notice and not "real" vacations.

I can't do to much about the "fear" factor related to job security and it's affect on vacations but the economy itself should not deprive you and/or your family of a real vacation. For example, if you normally fly to your vacation destination why not eliminate the cost of airfare by selecting a destination closer to home and use the money saved on the airfare to upgrade the destination.

One thing you could do is consider a cruise vacation! With the exception of the "heartland" we all live within driving distance of some port of embarkation. For example, people in my area (Southeast Texas) have the cruise ports of Galveston, New Orleans, and Biloxi which are all within less than a day's drive. These offer cruises of 4, 5, and 7 day duration and a choice of itineraries.

You might even lower the cost by getting together with family, friends, neighbors, church groups etc and forming a cruise group. Sometimes "the more the merrier" really is. Especially if it adds value and lowers cost.

Cruising not your thing. Why not plan a trip to the "Big Easy" (New Orleans) or San Antonio with it's River Walk, Alamo and Mission Tail. Or how about one of my favorite places, the Texas Hill Country with it's Wine Tail. The view from the Driftwood Winery's tasting room is one of the best sunsets in Texas.

Is the economy down? You bet it is! Does it have to rob you of a real vacation? Absolutely not. Call a travel consultant and let them show you how you can still have a great family vacation at a great destination while not breaking the family budget. Texas Cruise and Travel can help you with that as well. Check us out at www.texascruiseandtravel.com.

BTW - Now is the time to start planning that 2011 vacation.