New Year's Eve, 2014

What a beautiful setting to behold!

As we have for about the last 30 years in a row, Anne and I hosted a New Year's Eve Party at Lawry's The Prime Rib in Beverly Hills.

Although I've been a vegetarian since 2001, Lawry's New Year's Eve is a tradition, one that brings so many people happiness.

Among the 13 people at our table, and two more at an adjoining table, were Aunt Eleanor, and Anne's mother Mary Houston, whose company everyone treasures.

This year, our son Kyle seated his and Diane's 14 year old son Keoni next to Anne and me.

We don't often have an opportunity to really speak with and to listen to Keoni and this time with him was very special to us.

We also noticed Keoni thoroughly enjoyed his dinner and that brought joy to our hearts.

The other kids were all very cute and active. Keoni's tiny brother, 2 year old Ikaika was busily spreading good cheer all around our long table.

Ikaika seemed to have the most fun playing with two of our other grandchildren, 9 year old Cameron and his little sister, 6 year old Carina.

Cameron and Carina are beautiful and they were beautifully behaved, as they ate their dinners and took good care of Ikaika.

There was one special moment aside from the great joy I find in mingling with our guests, some of the other Lawry's guests and the Lawry's General Manager and her employees.

That was when without saying a word to me, our son Kyle, one of Lawry's biggest customers, took the coupons they award him and paid for our dinner, and that of the two people at the adjoining table, who had driven Aunt Eleanor to our New Year's Eve Party.

Aunt Eleanor and I needed only tip the food servers.

Such a New Year's Eve Party can easily cost us a thousand dollars, but not this one, thanks to Kyle and Diane.

This is also what Kyle did last August at the magnificent Mauna Loa Hotel in Honolulu, where we stayed, as he and Diane provided us with a Penthouse Suite at the top of the Tower, one adjoining there's, no charge to us.

They even paid our room service charges.

At this moment, as I write this summary, their generosity touches my heart, as it did last August and as it did on New Year's Eve.

To me, sharing joy with people at gatherings such as these are a celebration of life. And wherever they are held, they are joyous occasions that live in my heart, and I hope the hearts of others, long after they take place.

Dick