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THE SILVER LINING To Your Life & Health
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W hy I K eep S truggling
With My Family’s Support, It’s Worth It
I don’t know a single
I more than leaned on my sister. I continued to work during the day for significantly less money and bartended at night, but it still wasn’t enough. My sister was a doctor, and, at that point in time, she wrote me a check and said, “Do what you’ve got to do.” She probably gave me thousands of dollars during that time to keep me and my family out of the fire. She wasn’t the only one, though. My younger brother paid my mortgage for two months when I couldn’t afford it and refused to let me pay him back. When you’re in a hard spot, there are plenty of people who will offer words of encouragement and prayers for you. Those aren’t bad things, but it’s a whole different kind of helpful when someone whips out their checkbook, writes you a check, and just says “Do what you’ve got to do.” That’s the kind of support my family has given me, and that’s how it’s always been. I might not be able to claim my success as completely my own, but I can show gratitude to my family and for how our support for one another has brought us closer together. Help from my family has not only come in the form of financial assistance, however. My parents help me and my wife to this day, doing things like getting my kids from the school bus stop or taking my daughter to gymnastics. Little favors like that go a long way on a busy day.
–Duane Hamilton 1 770-744-1855 If you’re not struggling, you’re not working hard enough, he said. If you’re coasting, you’re slacking. That may not seem like an easy way to live life, but, if you’re not doing everything by yourself, it’s not only possible, but beneficial. If I had never struggled in my life, I don’t think I would be as close to my family as I am today. My family has also supported one another even when it seemed like the most inconvenient thing to do. Right before my father-in-law passed away in 2015, my wife, kids, and I were on vacation near the coast. When we heard he didn’t have much time left, my mother drove all the way to where we were staying, and we all drove back to Atlanta through the night to be with him. I have one living grandparent, my mom’s dad. He’s 89 years old this year, and, in thinking about how invaluable the support of my family is to me, I remember some advice he gave me about 10 years ago. It was 2009, and I was back on my feet financially. We were doing well. When we visited my grandpa on his 80th birthday, I asked him what advice he had for my generation. He said two words: “Keep struggling.”
person who has made it to where they are today entirely by themselves. There might be some egotistical people out there who claim to be completely self-made, but, honestly, the people in their lives supported them and made sacrifices for them to help them achieve success — even if they didn’t realize it. Even if you just had an aunt who was praying for you and that’s it, I’d call that help. I’ve been fortunate in my own life to have received more than just prayers and words of encouragement from my family. My dad paid for the cost of my college, and I earned my undergraduate degree without incurring any debt. Throughout my entire childhood, my mom supported my dreams and made sure I kept them big. I think my siblings and I came to expect that family supported one another, and that was just how it was. A common topic of conversation between my older sister, Jennifer, and I was about which one of us would be the most likely to support the other when we were older. I always said I would support her, and she always said the opposite was true. Jennifer was right. When the mortgage market crashed in 2008, my money dried up quick, and
and age now prevent her from doing so, make sure to keep her involved in the planning process. Consult her on decorations, food preparations, or other traditions to see how she would do it. It will help her continue to feel connected to the family even if she’s not in charge anymore. If They Live in a Nursing Home, Visit Them Don’t make this visit seem like an obligation. If your Christmas season is busy, make sure you carve out ample time for a meaningful visit. This is a great opportunity to show them they are still an important part of your life. Make sure to bring them a gift of some sort, such as a framed family photo or a soft blanket. If you’re not sure what to bring, you could ask the nursing home staff if they have any ideas. successful company, or starting a charitable organization, the desire to share your wisdom should not go unfulfilled. If none of these options work for your lifestyle, writing a memoir may be a good option. A memoir not only tells your story but also passes on the wisdom you’ve gained from your many experiences and offers a unique perspective to inspire future generations. Writing can be a therapeutic exercise at a time when your life may be changing due to retirement or your kids growing up and leaving the house. And, because personal reflection is a natural occurrence with age, writing a memoir can be the perfect way to spend your time. As you gain enough distance from life events to grow useful perspectives, the stage is set for self-discovery and transformation. Even more so, your life experiences can give valuable
insights to readers of all ages and circumstances. That’s why biographies and memoirs are such popular genres — reading about real people helps others understand the world and how they can live in it. To get started, pick a theme. Ask yourself these questions, “What message do I want to leave with my readers? What do I want them to feel or understand by reading my words?” From there, select anecdotes that support your theme. Make sure they’re clear and cohesive. Then, write like you would a fictional novel or story. Show, don’t tell, and keep readers invested by having a narrative arc, whether it flows chronologically or jumps back and forth in time. Remember, this is not a time to air dirty laundry; it’s a time to reflect, grow, and share your experiences with the world.
The urge to leave behind a legacy is an inherent human instinct. Whether you accomplish this by raising children, building a
Keeping the Family Together 3 Ways to Help Elderly Loved Ones Feel Included During the Holidays
The oven beeps as your holiday cookies finish baking. You speed walk across the kitchen from where you were decorating the tree, and pass the list of gifts you still need to buy that’s pinned to the fridge. Sometimes, it feels like the holiday season is a string of moments like these, and we can forget what’s more important: spending time with family. Unfortunately, the family time that often gets put to the wayside is the time we spend with our elderly loved ones. They may not be able to host and plan everything like they used to, but there are still ways to keep them involved this holiday season. Let Them Feel Central to the Celebration If your grandmother was once responsible for hosting the family on Christmas Day but her health
Have Your Kids Spend Time With Them Your kids might not know their grandparents or great-grandparents very well, and the holidays are a perfect time to remedy that. Try connecting the youngest generations of the family with the oldest through activities or story times. Many seniors love sharing stories with kids, and many kids enjoy their grandparent’s or great-grandparent’s stories. This way, your elderly loved ones won’t just feel connected to your generation — they can feel connected to the entire family.
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W hy A ren ’ t T here A ny N ew C hristmas C lassics ? A Few Theories and Exceptions
What are your favorite Christmas movies? Many people swear by “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “A Christmas Story.” Maybe you really like the old Rankin- Bass stop motion movies. Whatever the case, the Christmas movies in the pantheon of classic holiday film fare all have one thing in common: None of them were made recently. The most recent Christmas movie that could be called a classic is “Elf,” and that came out in 2003 — 16 years ago. So, what gives? Why haven’t studios been able to recapture the magic of Christmas as well as they could before the turn of the century? There’s no concrete answer, but there are a few convincing theories. The first is that the hopeful themes of holiday movies don’t mix with the realism of so many of Hollywood’s critical darlings — try as some studios might to mix them. Many more recent Christmas Happy Holidays from Hamilton Insurance Group
movies, such as “Office Christmas Party,” “Christmas with the Kranks,” or “Deck the Halls” try to bring the lofty morals of Christmas down to earth, but almost none have succeeded with critics or audiences. “Bad Santa” is a notable exception, scoring well with critics and audiences, but it’s hardly a rule. Another possible reason is that filmmakers just haven’t found a way to make a fresh, exciting Christmas story. The visual spectacle of Tom Hanks’ “The Polar Express” in 2004 or Jim Carrey’s “A Christmas Carol” brought in crowds at the box office, but both were retellings of well-known Christmas stories rather than something new. Neither movie scored well with critics, and neither have stood the test of time. Once again, however, there is one notable exception to this theory from the post-“Elf” era. “Arthur Christmas,” an
animated Christmas adventure story about Santa’s son delivering a forgotten toy to a little girl, was an original holiday tale that scored well with critics and audiences. But for some reason, this movie seems to have been lost to time in just eight short years. The group of movies that make up the genre of “Christmas classics,” or “holiday favorites,” is an exclusive club that spans decades. Just because a “good one” hasn’t come out in a while doesn’t mean there aren’t more to come. But for now, I guess it’s time to kick back with “Christmas Vacation” or “The Santa Clause,” just like every year.
C lassic R oast C hicken
Inspired by Ina Garten
INGREDIENTS
• 1 chicken, approx. 5–6 lbs • Kosher salt • Freshly ground pepper • 1 large bunch fresh thyme, 20 sprigs removed • 1 lemon, halved • 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted • 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced • 4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces • Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 425 F. 2. Rinse chicken inside and out, removing giblets if included. Move to a work surface, pat dry, and liberally season with salt and pepper. Stuff cavity with thyme bunch, lemon halves, and garlic head. Brush outside with butter, and then season again. Tie chicken legs together with kitchen string. 3. Meanwhile, in a roasting pan, toss onions and carrots in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and 20 sprigs of thyme. 4. Place the chicken on the vegetables and roast for 1 1/2 hours. 5. Remove from oven, and let stand for 20 minutes covered with foil. 6. Slice and serve with the vegetables. 3 770-744-1855
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Why I Keep Struggling Tell Your Story and Share Your Wisdom Keeping Your Elderly Loved Ones Involved in the Holidays Why Aren’t There Any New Christmas Classics? Classic Roast Chicken The History Behind Christmas Lights
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L ight U p the N ight
The first string of twinkling lights illuminating your neighbor’s house is always a telltale sign of the upcoming seasonal festivities. Christmas lights are a holiday staple, but have you ever wondered where this beloved tradition started? The tradition of hanging lights on the tree originally started with candles. Because this posed an immense fire hazard, Edward Hibberd Johnson, a close friend of Thomas Edison and vice president of the Edison Electric Light Company, vowed to find a better way to decorate Christmas trees with light. In December 1882, three years after Edison’s invention of the light bulb in November 1879, Johnson hand-wired 80 red, white, and blue light bulbs together and wound them around a Christmas tree in his parlor window. A passing reporter saw the spectacle and declared in the Detroit Post and
Tribune, “One can hardly imagine anything prettier.” Johnson continued this tradition, increasing the number of lights each year and eventually putting them up outside. But because electricity was still a new concept, many years passed before the fad took off for regular Americans. In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the tradition of lighting the National Christmas Tree, which spurred the idea of selling stringed lights commercially. By the 1930s, families everywhere were buying boxes of bulbs by the dozen. Today, an estimated 150 million Christmas lights are sold in America each year, decorating 80 million homes and consuming 6% of the nation’s electricity every December. Whether you’ll be putting up your own lights or appreciating the most impressive light displays in your
neighborhood or town, let the glow fill you with joy this season. Just don’t leave them up until February!
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