Happy New Year!  I hope everyone had a healthy and joyful holiday season.  Hard to believe, but 2025 is here.  I am looking forward to a meaningful year.  Speaking of "meaningful", that is my "Word for 2025".  Have you ever identified a "Word of the Year"?  This is something that I have done for several years.  It is a simple way  to create an intentional and desired focus for the year.  Some of my focus words in past years have been: Courageous, Loving, Health, etc. 

Why "Meaningful"?  One definition is, "having a serious, important, or useful quality or purpose." or  "making our lives rich and meaningful". 

I think sometimes we get so caught up in the craziness of our everyday lives, we can lose focus on what is important.  We drift towards "getting things done" versus "making a meaningful difference".  So, as a husband, father, Realtor, Rotarian or leader of a company, my focus for 2025 is being as Meaningful as I can.

What is your focus or "Word for 2025"?  Don't be surprised if that comes up in a Table Talk sometime soon.

 

Our speaker next Tuesday is: Chris Boyer: Freedom Service Dogs of America

Freedom Service Dogs of America provides custom-trained service dogs to assist veterans and first responders who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury, and loss of limbs or mobility due to combat-related injuries. With a Freedom Service Dog at their side, veterans, first responders, and active-duty service members can experience greater independence, self-confidence, happiness, and hope.

FSDOA highly skilled service dogs can assist veterans and first responders who have PTSD by waking them from nightmares, interrupting flashbacks, creating space around them in public places to reduce anxiety, depression and providing devoted companionship.

For veterans with mobility challenges, our service dogs can help with everyday tasks, such as turning lights on and off, opening doors and drawers, retrieving dropped items, and more, all at no cost to the veteran or 1^st responder.