Hi! Happy Tuesday to y'all! Hope you are well and Life's being good to you!!
I finally had the chance to relax and sit down and thoroughly read all the amazing comments and stories that have been posted here so far. Whoa!! I'm exhausted!! You guys made me laugh; you made me cry!! My mind is whirling! Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to share these things with all of us!
Just a few comments, although I wish I could address each message individually:
Vicki, I'm SO sorry to hear about what happened to your family's business!! And to have it happen so close to the holidays... I can only begin to imagine how utterly devastating this has been--after building something with love and hard work for over 40 years!!!! I know there's little comfort in knowing that at least no one was hurt. But I hope and pray that you all will find the courage and the strength to either rebuild or find a way to move forward in your lives!!!
TRex2000--HAPPY belated BIRTHDAY!! Hope you had a great day Sunday--just the start to a wonderful year ahead!!! Many, many more happy ones to you!!
And an early Happy BDay to Danny! Seems like there's a LOT of this going around right now.
To JCM: I have no specific suggestions to offer you, but to just use your own imagination. And whatever you choose to do, I know it will be very special!! Can't wait to see it!!
To everyone else who has added things so far--too many now to name you all--thank you for not only sharing your Meaty stories with us, but a bit of yourselves, as well. Like Leah said, it's a bit scary to open oneself up to people you've never met, other than in words on pages like these. But knowing we have at least one thing in common should, I hope, make it a little easier.
I've been thinking today about this thread, this board, the upcoming release of CHSIB today in the US and Canada, Meat's birthday....
You know, friends, the Internet has become such a part of our lives, and the world has become so interconnected that it's easy to forget what an absolute miracle it is that we are all here together like this. I mean, we all come from such different walks of life, from different countries; we are of different ages, different ethnicities, different professions...And yet, here we come, day after day, to be with one another, to learn more, see more, hear more about the man whose life and career draws us here....
And yes, I know that because of these differences, sometimes problems arise. We don't always agree with another. We may see things differently, have a different approach to doing things or saying things and we may feel quite strongly about them...and yet, as one wise person said to me recently (thank you, M.
), one doesn't always see eye-to-eye with the members in one's own family. One doesn't always get along with everyone in them. But no matter what, they are still family just as we are all part of Meat's extended family!
And so, with the near-simultaneous events of the North American release of CHSIB and Meat's Birthday coming up in a few days, it feels as though now is the right time for everyone to put aside their personal feelings, whatever they are, to put the differences aside, put away the egos, the personality conflicts, and place the emphasis, the concentration, the focus where it belongs--on honoring this man on his special day, as he deserves to be honored,
wherever and however we choose to do it.
With the future always so uncertain, who knows if we will have the good fortune to be here next year to celebrate with one another, to enjoy each others' company, as we can right now, at this moment in time!
There is so much to be grateful for, isn't there?!!!
I have gotten a few messages from people saying that they feel bad that they don't have any stories to share and they don't know what to say. That's all right, friends. Don't worry. You don't have to share stories unless you want to. Anything you wish to say or do for this birthday celebration in the thread will be fine! Even if you just want to wish Meat a "Happy Happy," in your own way, I promise you that it will be meaningful and special to him--to all of us--because it comes from you and from your heart--and because we ARE all family here!!
So, don't be afraid to jump in and join the pre-party festivities!! Okay?
I also hope that you'll be able to come here on the day, itself. I, for one, have several things planned throughout the day. And that would be, obviously, a wonderful time to add your thoughts and best wishes and anything else you wish to do on this birthday thread for Meat!!
Anyway, those were just a few thoughts for love and peace which I wanted to share today...Hope that's all right.
But now....
It's back to CountDown to B-day and only:
FOUR DAYS TO GO!!
Are you all ready for today's surprise, as we continue to look back on Meat's life?
Hope you enjoy it!!
Take good care. And thanks again for continuing to make this thread a very special one for us all!!
Much love to you,
MB
xxx