Happy New Year! Its hard to believe it is 2009 already! One of our New Years resolutions is to try to live life more simply than we have. In an age when technology keeps you literally connected to the world, it is more important than ever to keep our priorities in focus and remember to not go after 'things' that really have no value or worth in this life. We must try not to compare ourselves or situations to others because we can always find those who 'seem' to have it better, but who in reality have their own set of troubles which are equally as challenging to them.

A great example of simplicity was your great grandmother, Bernie Sharp Pearce, Nan's mother. She was born May 6, 1897, in Kissimmee Park and died May 6, 1978 in Kissimmee. She lived in Florida her whole life and never moved farther away from Kissimmee than the next county. She raised her family, 3 daughters and 1 son, through the depression of the late 1920's and 1930's when food was scarce and work was almost non-existent. Her husband, your great grandfather, had to gig frogs and sell them for part of the depression and for several years they lived with his parents near their orange grove in Okeechobee. Their son died as a young child and her oldest daughter died in middle age. She was know for her ability to sew and create a whole wardrobe of school clothes for her children when there was a need, otherwise everyone used hand-me-downs. Life was never 'easy' in the sense we understand today, but she sewed and repaired, cooked the best cornbread dressing in the world, and was a very kind and gentle lady. The highlight of our days, when we were young, was spending the night at their apartment on Bryan Street in Kissimmee. She always kept our (my) favorite cookies(oatmeal-raisin) and let us stay up late on Friday nights to watch all of the TV shows! She died just a few months after I returned home from my mission and even now I still miss her. Her most famous words of wisdom to me were, "Don't go looking for trouble, because it will surely find you!" and "Don't just be busy for the sake of being busy!". Enough said...

'Granny Pearce' with our aunt Carol and Nan, on Nan's 1st birthday