The First of The Year!  Happy New Year to all.  It is the time for review, and introspection.  This is how we all renew our faith, hopes, and beliefs. What were the highlights of 2007, for you?  For us it is always a reflection of what was lost versus what was gained.

What was lost is summed up by who was lost.  Each year there are people who have inspired us to do the best we possibly can with what we have available. This year was no exception....

We lost Art Buchwald.  This man made us laugh each and every day with his newspaper columns on the state of Washington, DC.  He was a "one of a kind" individualist who had the last word even at his death.  Art left a video tape of his obituary which began, "If you are watching this tape, then I'm dead".  We will miss you, Art.

We lost Kurt Vonnegut.  Novelist and satirist he made us think about the world in an unusual way, the way he saw things, for what they were. His 50th birthday present to himself was the book Breakfast of Champions which he described as a "sidewalk strewn with garbage".  He was disposing of long held ideas which he chose to "throw away" at the midpoint of his life.  We are at a loss as Mr.Vonnegut missed that 100 year mark by several years.  We will miss you, Kurt.

And, finally, Joel Siegel.  Movie critic who adorned our television for years on Good Morning America.  He will be remembered for his smiling face, which hid witnessed anguish of the Robert Kennedy assasination when he was a younger man. Joel should be rememberd for his valiant fight against cancer, never giving in to the enemy, right up to the end.  We will miss you, Joel.

What was gained? Our website did not exist a year ago.  Inspiration from people has vaulted us into a realm we would have only dreamed about previously. We established this blog as a bi-product to exercise the free speech we enjoy. We gained over 100 new friends in the process.

Our resolution is to build upon the gains, and inspiration from the losses, of 2007, and make 2008 The Best Year Ever.  Here's to growth, innovation, and challenge, three ingredients needed for continued success in all of our businesses. Happy new Year!

And as always, we welcome your comments.

The Plain Page Prophets