Tis the season to count your blessings

It's been a while since I posted. No reason, really. It's been busy, but I've also been lazy. Not a ton to report as we're all still slogging through this pandemic as best as we can. 

We've been careful, as you must be when you live in one of the most unvaccinated states in the country, and I think I've been so happy to be with friends and family when that occurred that I forgot to record some of the moments. 

Despite the state of the world and my lack of chronicling Team Reed activities, I'm feeling grateful for so many things:

Purely by happenstance, I put a new ornament on the tree - a stack of books I came home with from Christmas Book Club where, yes, I stole it under the rules of our gift swapping. It's between ornaments from Jeff's grandfather's house. Each a precious reminder of the best things in my life, and maybe yours: friends and family.

I'm fortunate to have friends and family who don't always agree with me and don't hold back when sharing their thoughts. Sure, it can seem a bit annoying at the time but it's such a great thing to have someone - or several someones - who will call you on your sh** and still love you once the voices go back to being suitable for the indoors.

I'm diametrically opposed to some of my family members on some issues, but we know we'll be there for each other when push comes to shove. A special shout-out here for my sister, Diane, who has so totally flipped off cancer that it seems to be running scared. You'd be scared of her, too: she's a force of nature. We don't know that her condition is truly surmountable, but even if it's not, she's a case study in strength. She's had a black belt in gallows humor as long as I've known her, and she's elevated that skill to whatever the baddest ninja rating is. I can't leave Donna out, either, as she and Jim took over Diane's care and feeding until she was back on her feet. Those two -- numbers 1 and 2 in the long line of Don & Lucy Bickel's brood -- have been through some stuff. Donna had a health scare of her own at Thanksgiving, and Diane was delighted to turn the tables and boss her around for a while. I don't think even Diane can take Donna, though, so that didn't last long. Still. Sisters. It's a thing.

Of course I'm grateful for Jeff and Ali, but I talk about them all the time, so there's not much to say. The Captain is still the Captain and Alison is still the strong-willed, redheaded smarty pants she's always been. Halfway through her junior year at Purdue, she's still determined to be a research chemist and find a way to improve the environment through science.

I have some of the best clients and the best professional peer group around, and I'm happy to be looking at another year of ReedRight Communications going strong. My family was afraid the big city would swallow me up when I moved here, but I have to say, the PR pros in Indy are a fabulous group. Lots of support and camaraderie, great friends and just all-around good people. Special shout-out here to Bill Oesterle and my Angie's List family who gathered a few times, including celebrations of life, a reunion, a tribute to Bill and most smaller gatherings on 38th Street. 

Here's something that might surprise you: a few years ago, some of my friends asked me to be in a fantasy football league and it's been super fun. Not only are they a riot, it's given the Captain and me a common interest. In years past, we'd go our separate ways on Sundays with him keeping an eye on the games and me doing puttering around somewhere else. Now, we spend Sundays watching the Red Zone and cheering or lamenting the progress of my Squirrel Gravy team and his Bow Ties are Cool team. They are separate league that operate under different rules so sometimes what's good for the Squirrel is not good for Bowties.  

He would complain that I don't always (translation: usually) don't pay perfect attention as Sunday is still my NYT crossword day, I usually have a book going and there's always Words with Friends. But we're together and I'm coming around to speaking football.

I don't always relish the idea of getting out for walks - especially in cold or rainy weather, but I'm closing in on four months post hip surgery, so I am grateful to be out there on walkabouts where I run into friends on the Monon Trail (hey, Chip Garver!) and sometimes revel in the natural and man-made beauty all around me. Next spring, I'm planning to be back on the pickle ball court with the Captain. 

I said earlier that we've been somewhat restrictive in gatherings due to the pandemic, but we have had some fun in the time since I last reported. As evidenced below. A couple photos are repeats from earlier in the year, but you'll understand why they're there.

Merry Christmas, friends. Hope your holidays are safe, fun and healthy and that the new year brings you a level of joy depicted in many of the snapshots below.