Friday, December 25, 2009: Merry Christmas Sam! I had a hard time sleeping last night. I miss you so much. I will try to call you later and see if I can wish you a Merry Christmas. Hopefully Adriana Coronel Tenorio (AKA Adriana Howitt Coronel, Ari Coronel, Ari Coronel Tenorio, Ari Howitt, Ari Howitt Coronel) will not screen my call. I have no plans today other than to spend some time at the beach. The salty air may make me feel a little better. KISSES MY PRINCESS and Merry Christmas! I LOVE YOU SAM!
<UPDATE> Its 9:51pm and Christmas is almost over. My allergies are really bothering me today. Either that or I am still not feeling well from earlier this week and it is still lingering on. I tried to go to bed early. Hard to do when my mind is so active with random thoughts like what time was Jesus born on Christmas Day. Does anyone really know? Just curious.
The beach was beautiful. I wish you were here to see it with me. It was warm up here too. I may have actually gotten a little sunburn on my legs. I found myself watching a lot of basketball today. I am not a big basketball fan but it’s a Christmas tradition in the United States. The Los Angeles Lakers played today. The Lakers are the premier sports team in Los Angeles, above all the other teams in the area. They won the Championship last year, which was pretty cool. Today was not such a great day for them. They lost but still have the best record in basketball at present.
There was a rare football game today too. The San Diego Chargers played after the Lakers were done. Being a lifelong Oakland Raiders fan, I am not a big fan of the team but Charger fans are enjoying some good success in recent years. Unlike the Lakers they had a great game. They beat a very good Tennessee team 42-17 and look every bit like a team who might win the Super Bowl. San Diego could use the lift of a sports Championship. It has been a brutal couple years in San Diego. It’s amazing how a city’s spirits can lift up so dramatically when their teams do well.
Like I said, random thoughts.
The economic recession. Let’s call it what it really is, an economic depression. It brought my business to its knees. We are still working hard to get through it. I will be first in line to kick 2009 into the history books, although I cannot forget the good that came out of this year too. I will reflect on that later. On that front I feel like I have failed you for not being able to do enough in the last 14-months. Yet everyone close to me says I really could not have done any more regardless of the resources.
As I have been writing for the last hour, I am reminded of how lucky I am. This has been a brutal year. No doubt. I learned a lot in the process. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about how much my love for you can move mountains. The greatest gift we have been given is love for another human being. It’s been amazing to see how you love back at such a young age despite all the turmoil around us. That is what makes you so special. It breaks my heart that I was not able to share this Christmas with you. I heard the love in your voice when we spoke briefly on the phone earlier today. That made my day. I LOVE YOU SAM! MANY CHRISTMAS KISSES TO YOU!