A 2023 Year in Review

2023 was like any other year a year of a mixed bag. For us personally we had some great travel and added a variety of new countries and experiences to what we have done. For the World its still a very challenging time. Since 2020 there have been many world wide issues and disasters that have occurred so it makes travel more complicated for sure.

There have been multiple Earthquakes, strong storms, wildfires and other natural disasters that have devastated areas of our world. There have been manmade disasters in the War in Ukraine and the new Israeli-Palestinian conflict amongst other conflicts such as unrest and war in African countries such as Sudan and Niger.

Here at home there has been violence and strong political division that pits American against American that is reminiscent to the American Civil War times. We find that even at home its not completely safe and there are many people struggling. Layoffs from major companies are occurring or are a continuing threat.

While there is so much negativity in the world, I think there is still much to be thankful for here at home and abroad. There is a lot of hope as well for a better world. From our travels we met so many great people from many different cultures. We ran into a variety of travel issues this year and people were there around the world to help us and show kindness. When our flight was canceled in the Isle of Man and we could not get off the island our tour guide John Shakespeare immediately gave us advice to help us and the people at the inn/pub we stayed at did all they could to make us feel at home in a tough situation. A man at the Rushen Castle who knew we were not in the best spirits after being stranded let us wind the 1500s city clock giving us an amazing experience. In Jordan so many people were welcoming and helpful to us showing that people of all cultures are kind and helpful as we expected before going there. The people of Jordan were some of the most hospitable we have encountered. When we got stranded in Antigua and were very stressed with no flights out for a week the staff at the Admiral’s Inn at the Nelson’s Dockyard did all they could to be kind to us and help nervous passengers. Also a man working the small concession stand at the Beef Island Airport in the British Virgin Islands helped give me advice and calming words such as “You all will get home, don’t worry about that. It might not be when you want be rest assured all will be good in the end” when we faced uncertainty during a firefighter strike at the airport. I have many other stories of kindness and wonderful conversations that tell me we are more alike around the world than we think and people are generally kind and understanding.

Here at home I am first thankful for my beautiful wife who always is there to support when even when I am down and my very supportive family (mine and my wife’s mothers side of the family are very supportive of us). We have 5 very loving cats, a home and have the basic necessities that so many around the world lack. We have great friends we have spent time with this year. The blessings go on. Medically both Donna and I had issues around the stomach for me that resulted in a couple procedures that ultimately went very well and us working on our own metal health becoming stronger and more resilient.

Mental Health is an important topic that we need to work on in our country. Many Americans face anxiety, depression, PTSD and other related issues. There is too much stigma put around people struggling in this area. Some have said they lack faith in God if you have anxiety and that is not the case. If you deal with anxiety you are not alone and nothing is wrong getting help for it. We live in a stressful world and we need all the help we can get by working together and with experts who can help.

We are very thankful for the learning and experiences we have had in our travels this year. We had the opportunities to visit 10 different states, 17 different countries and traveled around 90,000 miles. We experienced Europe, The Middle East, Latin America, Polynesia and The Caribbean. We tried new cruise lines for us such as Viking, Royal Caribbean and MSC. Once again our travels help renew our hope that there is a lot of good in the world and hope for the future in seemingly dark times.

I personally believe here at home if we take some of the lessons from different countries around the world, things that work such as focusing on the people first and business after we could end some of the violence and struggle we are having. All countries work to make sure business is successful but many other make sure their people have support during hard times. There is no need for people to struggle in our very wealthy country. When people struggle after layoffs and other events with healthcare and other items we need to have a good support structure for them. I believe if we truly follow Christ’s teachings and treat each other with respect and love we can again become a light for the world.

So next year I encourage you all to have hope in a relatively clouded world and nation. If you debate others on politics respect them and don’t get into malicious arguments. Step into their shoes and try to understand a bit more. Work to help others and just be kind to others that might be struggling. You never know what a bit of kindness can do to help people. We know how we felt in some of our tough times around the World and the bit of kindness that made our times better. There is a lot of hope for a better world. Lets each do what we can to make 2024 a changing point and much better than the last three relatively bleak years!