's MOTD for New Year's Eve

[Guest guest]

's Daily Message MondayDecember 31, 2007ADAM AND EVE

When I was a little kid, I would watch my parents get all dressed up to go out on New Year`s Eve. And boy, did they ever get dolled up!

My mother would be in a beautiful evening gown that just about touched the floor. Her dress would always be a black one and very tight fitting around the waist. She`d always wear her hair up and finish the ensemble with a pair of four-inch high heels. Her nails would be painted a ruby red with lipstick to match. She looked just like a movie star!

Oh and my dad, he wore a tuxedo, of course. It was black with shiny lapels and fit him like a glove. My father was 150 pounds with a 29-inch waist. I would watch as he looked in the mirror to tie his handsome bow tie. He`d take this flat piece of satin and make it into a bow. It fit him like a prince.

After they were all dressed-up, my folks would sit my brother, Lenny and I in the living room. They`d tell us where they were going and who they`d be with.

"Okay, boys, we`re going with Ella Mae and Everett to the Blue Room at the Roosevelt Hotel. One of our favorite singers, Peggy Lee, will be there tonight. We`ll dance the night away into the new year. Behave yourselves while we`re gone, okay?"

Our folks would hug and kiss us good-bye after our baby-sitter arrived. The next morning, they`d tell us all about their "Adam & Eve" night in their little Garden of Eden at the Roosevelt.

Unlike my parents, I don`t go out New Year`s Eve. Nope. No parties, no champagne, no noise makers for me. I usually spend New Year`s Eve alone with my babies, Hattie and Dolly. I read and answer lots of E-mails that day, too. And I sit and wonder how I can help everyone more in the coming new year.

I`ll take a sheet of paper and write down my proudest moments of 2007. And I look at that list for quite a long time. Then I`ll take another sheet of paper and write down what I expect of myself in 2008.

And every year, I expect a lot more out of me than the year before. That`s because I have a lot inside me to give. And to tell you the truth, I`m happiest when I`m able to give.

I`ve given to all of you my love, my respect and my time. In 2007, I reminded you that you were worth more than your weight in gold. I told you that I believed in you and that I would always be here to help you. I told you that you were a one of a kind miracle and that you should take care of that miracle God created when He made you.

And believe me, next year, I`ll tell you more of the same. But I`ll probably just be louder about it to make sure you hear my good news roar!

So how will you spend your New Year`s Eve? Quiet, like me? Or will you be dancing the night away in your own little Garden of Eden, like my parents used to do?

Whatever you decide to do, tonight before you go to bed, I want you to tell yourself that your own 2008...will be great!

HAPPY NEW YEAR`S EVE TO YOU ALL!

Love,