Merry Christmas/ Happy Holidays!

Since I have a lot of international readers and friends around the globe (where it is already Christmas day), I thought I'd put up my Christmas/ New Year's post now.

Like Thanksgiving, this year is a different kind of Christmas for me. It's unlike any Christmas before it and will likely be unlike any Christmas that follows it. But such is life. I will be enjoying tonight with my kids at my mother's house for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with my immediate family of brother and sisters and all of our offspring. The best part, of course, is watching the kids tear through the wrapping and into the presents. The shouts of glee are the best part of the whole evening for me. Tomorrow the kids will be with their mother traveling and having fun, so Christmas day will be the first one for me without my kids. Needless to say, it's a "first" I'm not exactly looking forward to, but life is about new experiences and growth.

The plus side is that I will still be seeing my friends and family tomorrow and will get out for a ride as well. Life is full of balances- with bad comes good, with lows comes highs, etc. I am blessed to have the friends and family that I do and I am always aware of that. This time in my life, though painful and trying, has been very effective at showing me that I will never truly be alone. I have too many friends and a loving family. I am blessed beyond the measure of money, fame or recognition- I have the very tangible and real things that can not ever be purchased or won.

So I hope that this Christmas brings much joy to everybody. Hopefully there is a bicycle involved somehow too- whether for yourself, or whether you built it for your own children or somebody else's. I know that for me, one of the greatest moments of my life was receiving my first bicycle. I'm quite sure my parents had no idea what that bike would lead to in my life. Not only did I taste freedom for the first time on a bicycle, but it has given me a career and served as my vehicle to see the world.

Masiguy- circa 1975 or 76.

Enjoy this time with your friends and family and anybody else you love- even your bike. May the new year be filled with more blessings than you can possibly ever count. Remember those who are less fortunate and find a way to ease their burden because the world needs more of that- locally and globally. AND... may the new year be full of excellent rides, a clean and smooth running drivetrain, no flats and lots and lots of tailwinds!

(And thank you for continuing to read this blog.)

Tim