New Calendars

It’s that time of year when we think about turning the last pages on the current year and picking out new calendars. A few years ago my sister-in-law Beth created for my mom a great calendar of monthly montages of family photos. Granny loved it so much she insists that Beth make a new one each year, and lucky for the rest of us, we’re also on the distribution list. We never turn the pages to peek before the next month arrives. We are happily surprised every 30 days or so with memories of vacations, special dinners and everyday life.

Last year Max also gave me a Los Angeles Clippers calendar for my office that features a different player each month. January and February start out pretty well with a few good players, but by the late summer months all the no-names who have already been traded by the team are featured. Only in November and December do the NBA all-stars Blake Griffin and Chris Paul make their appearances.

Beth’s family calendars have no weak months, since of course each one of the Halvorson and Chuck family members are all-stars. They bring us year-long joy, laughter and pride, and they never go out of style. In fact Chuck has always set the stylin’ pace for the cousins. This month niece Natalie stepped up big time, being named the homecoming queen for her high school.

Now is the time of year when we think, where did the year go. The days have gone by at just about the right pace for our family. Each one is a chance to appreciate moments big and small and to not get ahead of ourselves too quickly. And to look forward to the next turn of the pages.