It took forever to remember to write 2024 on my checks and it'll take most of the next year to write 2025. Getting older is a kick in the teeth, or so I've been told.

First things first. I resolve to be nicer, better looking, more charming, humbler and you name it in 2025. I will write a rule book for golfers like me: you may have a mulligan anytime you need one. If you hit a ball into the water, you may drop another without penalty. After all, you've lost a ball, so why lose a stroke, too? I will go to Daylight Donuts for a dozen chocolate-covered bagels and a half gallon of coffee only three times a week. Make that twice a week. I will try to find a TV news channel that is really fair and balanced. You may write the next six resolutions.

I will most likely throw away all these resolutions and try to be the man God made me to be and be kind, generous, loving and understanding for He has given to me more than I could have hoped for and deserved.

I have no idea what 2025 will bring any more than I could have guessed what 2024 would have been like. There are some things that I will write before the new year begins. I must sit down and review last year and try to allow the past to stay where it is and not get in the way for the future. After all, no one could have predicted those devastating storms, the wars, tragedies, where to lay the blame and stop the inevitable. Did we do enough, could we have changed the outcome and can we do more? After all, this is all we have to give to our children and grandchildren. It would be nice to leave them green grass, tall trees and plenty of room where they can run and play in safety.

I believe – I hope so – that I have learned that my generation is a thing of the past and I must try to understand these new generations. That's what I heard from the old folks when I was growing up and no one listened to the old big bands, as the music was for slow dancing in those days and my friends were now surrounded by what we loved was called "Doo Wop." For your info, Doo Wop ended in 1964 due to the invasion of the Beetles. That was the band and not the insect.

Perhaps the best resolution might be that we will not criticize the new generation but try to live in such a way that perhaps they might look at us and think, "These folks have something to say. Look at how they love and live. Maybe, just maybe, we can learn from them. It's worth a try."

The past must be studied. The present gives us the opportunity to live what we have learned. The future is the result. With God's help and direction – and only with His guidance – our future will be a blessing. Happy New Year!

Thanks, God!