DINAH

Hey... good news! Dinah has a home for next year! We don't need to ship her to Ohio or somewhere like that. Pinky is gonna look after Dinah, so daughter Peta will buy Dinah 3 or 4 big bags of tucker... and hey presto! Dinah's scene has been resolved. Just in case you were wondering.
And another thing... we didn't have to make the mercy dash for Debbie... see a previous blog (oops I mean post). Just all good news eh?

Things Just for Ladies

Well, it seems there are things JUST FOR THE LADIES. Today I popped into the local bike shop and saw Kathy's new bike. What a gem! How light! Apparently it is specially designed for LADIES. I reckon I'd manage it OK. Kathy's been waiting for it for awhile now, so it must be a special order. (Sorry I don't have a photo of this, yet.) [Hey Bruce... don't let Cookie read this or it could cost you megabucks!]
They even have Bibles - just for women. (You know some of us blokes get a bit of a complex with all this.)
I read in Sweeter Than Ever (www.sweeterthanever.com/) that "live, love, laugh" (that's a person) has challenged an acquaintance of hers to read 1 chapter of Proverbs EVERY day starting 1 Dec. (31 days in Dec, 31 chapters in Proverbs.) "bbsgirl" (that's another person - sure have strange names overseas) is going to do the challenge too. So, even though I'm not a lady (some blokes reckon I'm a bit of a sis), I figured I'd join the challenge and read a chapter a day right through December. So, that makes at least 4 of us. Any other starters? Click on comments below and let me know.
During November I've been sponsored by Pastors Keith and Elizabeth to read a chapter a day. So, I've read Matthew and am on to Mark, making notes to help me remember what I've read. I'm really pleased to report that I'm reading more and enjoying my time with the Lord far more. Thank you God. Awesome God. Remind me to tell you more about publicDOMAIN (see post called REACH OUT.)

W is for WWTC

…and WWTC stands for Wagga Wagga Teachers College. This is where Fay and I trained to become teachers in the early 60’s. Wagga (just called Wagga by us Aussies) is an inland city in NSW with a population now of about 50,000 people. Good place and close to Junee (home of the Keasts! – my grandparents.)
Interestingly enough, Fay and I never spoke to each other during the 2 year period we were at college together. We each had plenty of acquaintances without having to seek out each other. Fay certainly didn’t have a very good impression of that Keast bloke! It wasn’t until 1966-67 when we were both teaching out in the bush (20 miles apart) that we struck up a friendship which is still going today. Fay was transferred to Moulamein in 1966 and I was transferred to Niemur via Moulamein (not knowing Fay Bailey was going to be just 20 miles away.) Moulamein is in the Riverina, 100 km (60 miles) west of Deniliquin.
The folk who went through WWTC in those early 60’s have a real bond. For example, on our recent trip to Northern Territory and Western Australia we caught up with Janice and Bernie Fitzpatrick (ex WWTC) at the Douglas Hot Springs (a great place to meet with friends in the warmth of that water… with no crocs too close!) We also caught up in Perth with Cynthia (Richardson) Springvloed, Barb (Campbell) Otterman, Sue (Upton) King and Marion (Smith) Giddy. All are ex WWTC students. Then when we called in at Adelaide, we saw quite a bit of Di (Edwards) Groenewegen. Di was a good friend of Fay’s, a girlfriend of mine, and ultimately our chief bridesmaid in December 1967! (In that order.)
We are so fortunate to have spent time together at WWTC (sounds like it was a gaol…. Pix would say…. Well it was close!)
Fay and I are about to head to the coast, south of Nowra, where we’ll holiday with several ex WWTC couples, namely Smarts, Roberts and Robertsons. We go there EVERY year.
Those WWTC days were very special – just over 40 years ago. Photo shows Jim Smart and myself (Jim’s a bit shorter than me) holding “plates” to celebrate 40 years since we graduated in 1964. Yes… I also collect licence plates… and occasionally make my own!

QUICK MERCY (?) TRIP

"Hey Dad, could you see if you can buy an extension phone cable... at least 25 metres? 50 would be even better." That was just one request this morning from our daughter Deb who's working at a mine at Parkes (about an hour and a quater from Dubbo where we live.) She actually lives and works in Sydney.

The other request that she threw us this morning was, "Hey, is there someone who would like to travel with me down to Sydney and back.... maybe leaving tonight at 9 pm or in the early morning?"

Guess that's what Dads (and Mums) are for eh?

So, down to the electrical shop in Dubbo, and then head to Parkes tonight after tea to do the journey to Sydney and back. Parkes to Sydney is probably a four and a half (4.5) hr trip.

Meanwhile this afternoon I am heading to help some local young kids with their bikes - you know, bike maintenance, fixing tyres and adjusting chains and seats. Teaching them how to fix a puncture. Most of the kids are Aboriginal and many will be from dysfunctional families. It will be a challenge.

So isn't it great that I've been able to get extra sleep over the last couple of days? Even this morning I didn't go for my usual 50 km bike ride because it was wet.

Seeya, I'd better go visit the local electrical shop and see if they've got 50 metres of phone cable.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS

Well, when you go away for a lengthy period of time there are a few tricky things:
who’s gonna feed the dog?
what are you gonna do with your car?
how ‘bout your caravan?
what’s gonna happen to the mail?
who’s gonna mow the grass?
well I guess firstly, who’s gonna water the yard to get grass to grow?
who’s gonna pay your recurrent bills?
what are you gonna do with your computer(s)?
what on earth are you gonna do with ALL THE BIKES?

We’ve put in a watering system before we went on the trip this year. We also found a mower man and he was able to mow when it was needed. Our car is going to my brother’s place 300 km north at Narrabri. Avan is in the garage and de-registered.
Bikes are being spread around the country fairly successfully. Even a bike pump. We're going to be away for about 10 months.
Out of all this… the most serious problems seem to be Peta’s car and Peta’s dog, Dinah.
Peta will be back in maybe May to collect her car and finally her dog when she has a place to go to. She is gonna be leaving Dubbo when she returns to Australia from her 3 or 4 month trip. Who knows where she'll end up.
So… if you have any ideas…. Let us know. And no, we’re not gonna send Dinah over to Ohio or some place!

AFTER TENNIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT

V….. yeah….V……strike…. V….. think I’m stuck.

Maybe too much tennis and cycling and the mental bits aren’t focussing too well. Should there be 2 s’s in focussing or just one s? There’s a spell checker/chequer round here somewhere.

Got phoned and asked if I’d fill in last Wed night, then again Monday night and then again tonight…. Wed night.

So, while I’m runnin’ myself ragged …. really at my age….. serves me right…. Fay is out with the girls …. (or ladies) ….. having a bit of a sew. They’re a mob of sew and sews! They sew and yack and yack and sew. They have a bit of pizza, and they solve the problems of the world. We husbands pop in now and then just to make sure everything’s above board! They’re a beaut bunch of girls and I enjoy it when it’s our turn to “have the ladies”.

V…. where can I go with V?

This is gonna sound a bit far out…. But….

I think my V is for VULNERABLE. “…that can be wounded or injured; open to attack.”
When I think of the word LOVE I think of the V and believe it stands for VULNERABLE. You’ve gotta stick your neck out when it comes to LOVE… and that makes you vulnerable.

Volunteer or volleyball would’ve been easier…. But you really wanted to know what I believe in…. well…. You got it.

When you allow yourself to be wounded or attacked or injured…. You must be puttin’ it all on the line. Maybe you don’t really know what I am really trying to say. Right now I wish I had some of your journalistic prowess Jennifer! (look up Idle Rambling Thoughts).

Four to go! W, X, Y and Z.... just in case you weren't sure whether I knew what came next.

(Hey the pictures to go with these posts are harder than writing the posts themselves!) That happens to be Fay and I partying one night.

Anyway… judging by the number of comments recently there mightn’t be many who read this bit of jargon! I know Fay doesn't read it. She's just too busy doing other stuff.... and .... you guessed it... sewing!

U is for.....

Well it could be for ULTRA, or UMPIRE (they’re important.) It could be UNCOMPROMISING or even UNCONDITIONAL. It could be for UNDERDOG or for UNDERSTANDING. I even thought about UNICYCLE.
But I’m going to make my U stand for UTAH. Yep, the state of UTAH. Utah is a beautiful state and is a beautiful part of the USA. One of our favourites. We really love Zion and Bryce National Parks and there are others too. I think RED Canyon is in there too somewhere. It’s magnificent. This area is in the SW corner of the state and is only 120 – 200 miles from Las Vegas in Nevada. (Fay always wants to “hit Vegas” and see some shows.)
Look up www.utah.com/nationalparks/ which will fill you in on this area and show you some lovely pictures.
There’s also SKI and SNOWBOARD and MOUNTAIN BIKE and WHITE WATER RAFTING in Utah. We found some very friendly people there when we first went there with Jan and Jim back in early 70s.
So, have you been to Utah? If not why not? When I checked out the MOTTOS that Jennifer listed - www.whatbox.blogspot.com/ - it said of Utah - ... well, check it out for yourself. I thought it was neat!
Fay and I hope to spend some time around Utah in April or May next year.

T is for TRAVEL

What do they say – travel broadens the mind! I must have one pretty healthy mind!
I love to travel. So does Fay. I love to travel round parts of NSW, areas in Sydney, other states in Oz and practically anywhere O/S. In 2004 and 2005 Fay and I wandered round Qld, Vic, SA and WA. It has been great to see parts of our country we’d not seen before and also revisit places and people we’d been to and met before.
Travel brings alive things and events you’ve heard about, read about or seen pictures or movies of.
Travel helps you put things in perspective. Travel helps you appreciate your homeland – at least it has for me. After spending 4 years in Canada, I found I could smell the trees when I returned to Australia! How come I couldn’t smell them before?
I’m fortunate in that I come from a beautiful country – we call it the lucky country. Before I retired I looked at various places with a view to retiring there to live permanently. After much thought and visiting some of those places (like Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Forster) I decided (actually we decided) that we’d stay in Dubbo where we’d lived for 6 years because it had just about everything we wanted in retirement.
We're heading overseas in 2006 - for a large part of the year.
I’m really looking forward to so many new experiences – such as seeing Iguazu Falls, Machu Picchu in Peru, cycling across Kansas, visiting Ireland and Greece and seeing and walking on the Great Wall of China. They’re just some of what I’m looking forward to in 2006.
Interestingly enough, I love to combine S for SPORT and T for TRAVEl. It’s great to travel to places through sporting events or sporting connections. For example, my Canadian brother Bill has just spent a week golfing along the Murray River from Corowa to Wentworth. A great trip. Excuse me while I travel into the armchair and watch some more of the cricket!
What is that photo of with this post? You'll find out tomorrow!!! Can you guess?

S is for SPORT

Yes I love SPORT! Particularly cricket, tennis and cycling. But I also do a bit of walking or even bushwalking.
I enjoyed seeing the soccer (football) game between Aust and Uruguay during the week. Very close, with Aust finally winning the match via the "shoot out" at the finish. That means they've qualified for the World Cup in Germany next year.
I play tennis a couple of times a week, on Monday and Friday mornings starting at 6:30 am. I join a bunch of guys who are all over sixty years of age, and we play till we're worn out. This week I also filled in for Baldy and played comp on Wednesday night. The level of play was decidedly higher than our regular Mon and Fri. The extra pace and concentration was a bit taxing for an old tennis player.
Then the cycling: I get out about 3 times a week minimum. Mostly I ride about 50 km (2 hours), but occasionally do a longer ride.
Sometimes I ride the TREK mountainbike, but mostly the trusty Mongoose Road bike. Now and again (like this morning) we get the Burley tandem out and take it for a spin. It's a lot of fun.
Yes, I love sport and believe that the lessons I've learnt through sport have helped me with issues and incidents in life. It also keeps me fit and prevents me from putting on too much weight. I love sport. Excuse me while I sit in the armchair and watch West Indies play Aust in the 2nd cricket test.

R is for REACH OUT

Last night I went along to a youth group here in Dubbo. It's called publicDOMAIN. Every Friday night they get from 35 to 60 kids "drop in" for a couple of hours of fun, games, milkshakes, music, serious message and video presentations. The kids are aged from 12 to 17, are mostly indigenous and include quite a few from dysfunctional families. There are two small buses that do a couple of runs to collect and return kids who otherwise wouldn't be coming.
The leaders are a dedicated bunch of young people aged 18 to 25. There are a few older folks like myself who help out where we can.
It's fantastic to see these youngsters reaching out to the community and making sure they are also catering for the less privileged.
Probably the two biggest problems with these dysfunctional families are alcoholism and domestic violence. However there could also be a drug culture having quite an effect as well.
Isn't it great to see opporunities for youngsters like this?
Last night was pretty tough with quite a few kids being extremely defiant. Five girls actually just cleared out and walked down town , about 2 km from the church where publicDOMAIN happens.There was nothing we could do to prevent these girls from leaving. There were a few others who were told that they are not welcome next week because of their poor behaviour.
So you can see there are plenty of challenges for the leaders - even experienced old guys like me!

Q is for...

I read a book some time ago… in fact I read it in bed to my wife (actually I was reading it to both of us!) The book is called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It talks about how you can express heartfelt commitment to your mate. It came out in 2000 and has been reprinted a few times since. There’s also The Five Love Languages for Teenagers, The Five Love Languages for Children and there may be more. Chapman’s idea is that we can express love in five ways, but that one way will be our preferred way. He believes the five languages are:
# Words of Affirmation
# Quality Time
# Receiving Gifts
# Acts of Service
# Physical Touch
One problem is that we tend to treat others as if their primary love language is the same as ours, when in fact it might be different. So a guy who does heaps of housework, cooks meals and does washing is focussing on Acts of Service. But if his mate’s primary love language is Words of Affirmation or Quality Time, then all his efforts are worthless. (Fay would love a bloke whose primary love language was Acts of Service! Sorry Fay.) Some people have 2 primary love languages. Fay’s are Quality Time and Acts of Service. So, she wants me to spend quality time with her and she would love me to vacuum the house now and again (did it today!!!) and hang the washing out and…
So, Q is for QUALITY TIME. It’s an important thing to give people, friends, relatives, family, work mates etc. For me, I have to work at it, because I tend to want to head off and DO something. Don’t get me wrong…. Spending quality time with someone can be playing tennis with them or going on a bike ride or a hike with them. Is there someone you can spend some quality time with this week? Or this weekend?
Hey I guarantee this book!! Look up www.fivelovelanguages.com/ Les and Kay (pictured) spending time together when Les took Kay out for dinner. Food was lousy, but the time spent together was precious.

P is for Photos

Love taking photos and then also love playing with them and enlarging them and cropping them. I’m enclosing the bird that slipped into my photo at Yepoon last year. Completely unannounced. We had been to Great Keppel Island for the day on a catamaran. A top day. This was the photo which capped it all off.
I’m finding action photos harder these days because of the delay when I press the shutter. It seems all the little men in my camera have to have a meeting to decide when and how to release the shutter and take the photo. So I’m usually a bit behind the action. I thought maybe I’ll enter this Queensland photo in a competition next year.
I do have a number of photos I need to put through the scanner so I have them on the puter ready for you some other time.
Damn… what am I gonna do for Q? All suggestions greatly appreciated.

O is for OTHERS

If you want JOY, you've gotta put Jesus first, Others second and yourself last. J - O - Y.
There's a song which goes something like this: (I haven't got it quite right)
Let me be a little blinder
Let me be a little kinder
To the thoughts of those around me
Let me try a little more
Let me be when I am weary
Just a little bit more cheery
Think a little more of others
And a little less of me.

Yes, I firmly believe that if you want joy and peace, try putting others in front of yourself. Look at all the people who do volunteer work and get such a thrill from it all.
Make sure today (or tomorrow), you get to put others ahead of yourself. Treat them like they're special. Find someone to do something for. Give it a go.... it worked for me today!
Others are really important people.

N is for Negotiation

I’m right into mediation. Listening to others as a way of resolving conflict.
Think I’m gonna have to listen to my daughter tomorrow so we can resolve anything that’s hanging about ruining our connection. Guess we’ll have to negotiate.
There’s a guy I cycle with who won’t budge when it comes to a standoff! I think Aussies are known for this a bit.
Fay and I were trying to decide what colour bike to buy. She figured silver. I figured yellow. We negotiated. My cycling mates said to me… Oh, so you’re getting a silver bike? I said, No, actually we’re getting a canary yellow bike.
Sometimes guys just retire into their shell (cave?) if their lady says, “We’ll go to such and such a place for Christmas.” Blokes find either they want their way or they’ll pout and brood if they don’t get it. Yeah… I’m embarrassed to say I can be like that. But I’m getting heaps better (I reckon.) Ask Fay!
We’ve had to do heaps of negotiation re our big trip next year. Italy? Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes. Lease Citroen or Peugeot???? And so it goes on. May God guide us as we travel O/S in 06! We’ll need his wisdom to help us negotiate as we journey together.
Hey, this alphabet blogging isn’t easy! What would you do for O? See, told you!
This photo shows Ross and Anne cycling their tandem. Tandem cycling takes plenty of negotiation... believe you me! I mean you've gotta negotiate whether your partner/mate or whatever is gonna even ride!! It takes plenty of negotiation doesn't it Meersy?
Ross and Anne cycled round Aust. Awesome. Nearly 20,000 km or 12,000 miles. Sorry about Anne's face, she's trying to keep the sun off her face.

M is for Mongoose

A mongoose is a slender flesh-eating mammal from Asia and Africa. It's like a ferret. Some people keep them as pets. They are well known for their ability to kill cobras even though they are not immune to their venom. Gutsy critters eh?
But a mongoose is also a brand name for a bicycle. I have a Mongoose IBOC Road, purchased in Canberra on Australia Day in 1996 for about $1500. It is made mostly from carbon fibre which makes it light and flexible. The gears, cranks, brakes are all Shimano 105 except that the gear levers packed it in and I have replaced them with Shimano Sora levers. It has 21 gears and STI levers. This means the gear shifters are integrated with the brake levers.
This is the bike I rode from Perth to Sydney in 2003. The bike did a great job, averaging about 144 km per day over the 4,309 km. About 5.5 hrs riding daily. Amazingly I only got 1 puncture in all that riding!
The mongoose is happy to go out in any weather, unlike its owner who prefers ideal conditions.
In Sept/Oct I rode another Bike for Bibles ride from the Blue Mountains to Dubbo and back. 1,000 km over 9 days.
Yes, my Mongoose IBOC Road is a great bike and will probably last me for years to come.

L is for LOVE

Well you knew that anyway didn’t you? L is for LOVE I mean.
The five basic needs are:
# Power
# Freedom
# Fun
# Belonging and
# LOVE
As a schoolteacher I often came across kids who were desperately in need of love. They needed a cuddle. They craved attention. They wanted the teacher to spend time with them. Yes, there were always many kids who didn’t get enough LOVE.
One of my concerns is that there are too many latch key kids - kids who have to let themselves in when they get home from school. Unfortunately Mum and Dad are both out working.
I think it was 1958 when Aunty Maida went back to work. She went back when her youngest of 4 kids started kindergarten. I was 15 years old and I was so thankful that MY MUM was home when I got there after school, except for Tuesdays when she was playing tennis 2 km away. Guess I was one of the lucky ones who always (except for Tuesdays) had a Mum at home when I got there. Life has changed so much, and nowadays parents usually believe that they NEED to return to work as soon after their kids are born as possible. Well, I reckon kids need LOVE more than the parents need MONEY and material things. At least that’s the way I see it. Guess I’m a bit old fashioned eh?
This photo was taken in 1943 I guess. It's me and my Mum. She died in 1968 at the age of 52. In that short time she gave me all the love I needed. I have been incredibly blessed.

K is for Keast Family

Yes, I've already told you my family is important to me haven't I? So, you don't need to read on really. You can stop now.

I remember talking to Fay Bailey's Grandfather & trying to impress him (since I'd fallen in love with his Grand-daughter). I said, "The Keasts come from Cornwall!" Quick as a flash despite his aging years, he replied, "A mob of pirates!"

The Keasts I descended from came out of Cornwall, England, via St Kitts in the West Indies. That was my Great Great Grandfather, George Keast - born in Cornwall and died in Victoria at the age of 74. George married Catherine Blight, daughter of Lieutenant Blight.

I have 17 cousins from the Keast family side. Only 7 are males to continue the Keast name. I have 1 son and 2 daughters. My son Jeremy is one of 8 male Keasts in his generation who will be able to continue the Keast name.

So, the moral of this story is.... young Jeremy is 27 years old now... AND WE'RE STILL LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO TAKE HIM OFF OUR HANDS!

The photo shows my brother Alan, then brother Bill, sister Margaret and myself. Alan is 300 km north of where we live in Dubbo. Margaret is 400 km east of Dubbo in Sydney, and Bill is umpteen thousand km living in Canada, except when he's out visiting Australia which he's doing right now. (Last seen heading towards the Riverina.)

J is for.........

Well, I thought about Jack (my Dad who passed away in Sept 1992). What a great guy. He was a fantastic role model for me. A tremendous sportsman. I really loved that guy. But when I think of what J stands for.... there is no doubt. I can't say it any better than Sharon and Peter Stevenson did when they wrote this song: (have a read)

Jesus You Are Everything

Written by Sharon & Peter Stevenson

Jesus You are everything
You are all we need
And your kindness stirs our hearts
To love You more
Jesus You are everything
You are all we need
And Your love has opened up our eyes to see

Chorus
That You are all we need
You are all we need
You are all our hearts were searching for
You are all we need
You are all we need
Jesus You, are all we’ll ever need

O/S 06 continued

Well... Overseas Trip is progressing well, in case you were asking.
Plans are to depart Sydney 1 February (I chose that because it should be easy to remember. I've only ever missed one plane and it's not a pretty sight.)
So we wander round South America. Bit scared about that. Heard about baddies over there who can rob you or take you or pickpocket you. I don't fancy any of those things. At least I'll have my 6'3" minder with me.... Jeremy (see post on HUMOUR.) You're right... he is just a big pussycat, except for the time he dressed as a hatchet man and scared the living daylights out of a bloke. Multitalented is our Jeremy.
After 6 weeks in Sth Am, we fly from Bogota (if we ever get out of there...) and land in Miami. (We were gonna head to New Orleans.... but we chucked that draft and have moved on.) In Miami we're gonna collect our NEW TANDEM TWO'SDAY. It's a bike that 2 people can ride and 2 people can put together and 2 people can pay for. Thank goodness. It gets made in Oregon! I don't believe it! I thought everything was made in China now? Have I missed something?
Here's where you can help. We land in Miami on 15 March. We have nothing planned till BAK in Kansas on first weekend in June (Bike Across Kansas). Or is it 10 June? I'd better check that. Any suggestions on where we should go and what we should do for a couple of months? Too cold at that time to head to Canada, so forget about that option. Can't visit Orange County (near LA) because Kathy and Jack are busy till the end of April. We'll use autodriveawy company to deliver vehicles around the States. Anyone you want us to drop in on? Anybody wanna come for a bike ride? I think Jennifer (a blogger) comes from Ohio.... wonder if we could find that place? Do you cycle Jennifer? Are there hills in Ohio? Fay is allergic to hills and magpies, so if you've got either, maybe look for other cyclists.
And you heard the one about - SHE'S NOT PEDALLING? All the Aussie blokes call that out when a tandem rides past. Well, we don't have any pedals for the new tandem yet! So she mightn't be padeall... I mean paddling... no... I meant pedalling.
You can see I'm stalling while I write about J can't you?

H is for HUMOUR

They tell me if you laugh often you live longer. Is that right?
I guess I have tried to introduce humour to situations where I believed some levity was needed. Sometimes I miscalculated. I remember one of my bosses (he was superintendent of schools) telling Fay before I went for an interview, “Fay, tell him he can’t tell jokes at his interview!”
There are times when you just have to introduce something a bit light hearted I reckon. Like when I had the Hairy Man from Koorawatha spring out in public at the Centenary of Public Education when I was principal at Koorawatha Public School. I just figured that it would be good to have the Hairy Man appear and say a few words on such a sombre occasion. It went well didn’t it Army?
I’m envious of my son Jeremy (pictured above) who is spending a large part of his “working” life, doing stand-up comedy! Now where on earth would he have got that from? He figures, why teach when you can do stand-up comedy? I never thought of it that way. He just loves to make people happy and get them laughing. My sentiments exactly. As the good book says, there are times to laugh and times to cry.
Ecc 3:4 There is a time to cry, a time to laugh.
There is a time to grieve and a time to dance.
Mmmmm D is for DANCE eh? Missed that one didn’t I?
[Thanks for letting me know I'd missed H. Lucky Rodney was watching!]

I is for IMPORTANT

I guess I stands for IMPORTANT because we so often get caught up with what's urgent rather than important. Sometimes the things that are important have to play second fiddle. We really get caught up with work and club commitments to name but a couple. Sometimes these things and others crowd out the important things in life.
If things are important to you (things or people) then invest in them NOW! My family is important to me. So, next year, on 1 Feb, we've decided to take them to South America WITH US! It just so happens that Deb speaks Portuguese and Jeremy speaks Spanish (both of which could be handy.) And Peta? Well, she speaks about as much Spanish as her parents! But, she can communicate with anybody. Trust me.
If there are things or people who are important to you then make sure you invest (another good I word) time and effort - NOW! Don't leave it too long. I think it was one of my kids who once told me - they've never found a headstone which read "I wish I'd spent more time at the office!"