1/11/11
Today is my birthday. It is a day to take stock of the past year and see what I have learned and experienced and to enjoy with family and friends and reset my compass for another year of travel on the road of life.
This past year has been eventful and enjoyable in many ways. We have welcomed a new grandson into the family and the five grandchildren make every day a joy and a delight. My son was married and we now have a new member of our family to love and get to know better. Our house has been filled with love and happiness and we have been blessed in so many ways. We have taken away from our own daily lives to care for family and friends who are ill and in need. We have seen first hand the same ups and downs that every other family in our city and country has experienced, and because of our experience we can understand and feel both the good and the bad.
During the election I found many new friends, and marveled at the commitment and dedication to our effort I saw in so many. I watched the support for our campaign grow as people got to know me and my family and all that we stood for. I took great pride in the fact that we talked about issues and solutions rather than personalities and partisan politics. And after the election results were in, I found great comfort in two things: the pride I felt in the way we worked every day to make a positive tone in the way we campaigned, and the number of people who responded to our efforts.
As I begin a new year of my life and the first of two years until the next election, I make this commitment to all of you: I will work even harder than last time and we will succeed in our efforts to represent all the citizens of the 138th District.