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JANUARY 2026
A Family Tradition Sparks a New Year of Growth Past Milestones, New Horizons
As the New Year begins, many people’s thoughts turn to memories of the past and goals for the future. Over the years, my family and I have built this seasonal pattern into a family tradition. For the past 10+ years, my brother-in-law, my dad, and I have sat down at a coffee shop during our week-long family get-together in Michigan to reflect on past achievements and future goals. Recently, the next generation, my nieces and nephew, have joined us as well. We talk about plans we wished we had worked on harder, as well as accomplishments we feel good about, usually focusing on family, friends, fitness, and faith. Sharing our goals with each other is a pivotal part of this conversation. Iron sharpens iron, as the book of Proverbs says: One person improves another through mutual encouragement and constructive challenges. Pushing each other in these conversations, and holding each other accountable, has drawn us closer and added stability to our lives. Fitness is a topic that comes up almost every year: We all want to get in better shape. Of course, it’s frustrating when you gather again the following year and you’re still stuck in the same place. But we encourage each other, and we don’t give up. Thanks to this mutual support, 2025 has been one of my better years in achieving my fitness goals. In the realm of faith, we might talk about spending a certain amount of time in Bible reading each day. At one of our sessions, my brother-in-law said one of his goals in practicing his faith was to get on
week expressing his gratitude to people who had made an impact on his life. Making that a weekly practice helped him keep a grateful attitude. In return, he received many stories from people who were moved by his notes. I remember getting one of those notes from him and being inspired to work hard to help others. We talk about business goals too. Our law firm has accomplished many of the goals I’ve discussed with my family. These sessions have helped me focus on the most important objectives that help the firm grow and provide a great result for customers, rather than getting caught up in day-to-day stuff. Having another generation of family members join our sessions, including my college-age nephew and niece, and my younger niece in high school, has been terrific. They’ve started asking, “Hey, when are we getting together for our coffee-shop goal session?” Everyone looks forward to it. This camaraderie with the family is one of my favorite things. One of my nieces is naturally very goal-oriented, all-in, and enthusiastic. She tends to focus on the biggest goals that are absolutely her life’s highest priorities. We sometimes help her pare them down. Knowing that every year my family members are going to be hearing what I’ve been up to is highly motivating. I often pull up my goals around Thanksgiving and look them over to see how I’m doing … and figure out if there’s anything I can do in the last few weeks of the year to move the ball forward and feel better about my progress!
his knees every day when he prays; that physical act really helps put your heart in the right humble attitude to lay your concerns before God. “What
As you and your loved ones move ahead in the New Year, I hope you too can enjoy sharing some of the goals closest to your heart. –Mark Bigger
a great idea!” I thought. I’ve since made that practice part of my own daily devotions.
My brother-in-law also had a custom of writing a note a
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Kitten Keeps Trapped Climber Alive in Mountain Blizzard SMALL HEARTBEAT, BIG RESCUE
Mountain Rescue Service, told The Associated Press. “He saved his life.”
Asked if he was okay, Benga says that Duda told his rescuers, “I’m happy because my cat is alive. I got a chance from God for a new life. The happiest moment is because the cat is here with me.” Although climbing out of the ravine took more than five hours, Duda held Peach close to his chest the entire way. Forced to turn the kitten over to rescue workers when he was placed in an ambulance, Duda begged them, “Please take care of the cat.” When Duda was rescued, he was one of roughly 160 Ukrainian men saved while crossing the mountains to avoid the draft. Sixteen others died trying. The rescue was “like a dream, after all I have been through,” Duda said. “Peach kept my heart warm, and he kept my faith alive.” Duda was treated for hypothermia at a nearby hospital. Peach was taken to a veterinary clinic nearby and, at last report, survived the ordeal in good health.
Trapped in an icy mountain ravine, soaked and nearly frozen, 28-year-old Vladislav Duda contemplated what he feared would be the last night of his life. Escape from the ravine, more than 430 yards deep, was out of the question. Suffering from fatigue as hypothermia set in, Duda believed only one thing separated him from death: the furry warmth of his months-old kitten, Peach, huddled against his chest beneath his coat. Duda, a Ukrainian journalist, had undertaken a perilous journey in late 2024 across the Carpathian Mountains into Romania to avoid being drafted to fight
in Ukraine’s war against Russia. Four days earlier, he had run out of food for his cat and himself, and they were surviving on icy water from melted snow. Rescue workers from a regional mountain team had tried to reach Duda by helicopter, but hazardous blizzard conditions forced them to turn back. Instead, more than a dozen ground workers battled through deep snow in 14-degree temperatures into the ravine. When they finally reached Duda, they opened his coat and found the tiny orange tabby kitten curled against Duda’s chest. “The cat was warm, and was warming him,” Dan Benga, director of the Maramures
THE HIDDEN COSTS OF FREIGHT TERMINAL DELAYS Time Is Money
Driving big rigs is a demanding job, taking a toll on a person’s health and home life. Mounting delays at freight loading and unloading terminals are making those stresses worse. The delays drivers face at shipping and receiving facilities are a mounting problem, with “widespread negative consequences” for carriers, drivers, shippers, and the economy as a whole, according to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), a nonprofit research group. The most recent ATRI survey of more than 1,900 truck drivers and motor carriers a few years ago showed a 40% increase in drivers reporting mounting delays in pickups and deliveries. Drivers in the survey blamed customers for the holdups, especially dock employees whom they described as slow, unmotivated, or taking too many breaks. Among other complaints, drivers said they sometimes arrived for a
and regulatory changes, such as customs rules requiring closer inspection of certain shipments. These problems hit truck drivers right in the paycheck. Federal hours-of-service limits prevent them from making up for the delays by driving longer hours. Delays also disrupt the entire supply chain, resulting in missed deliveries, customer dissatisfaction, and fines against the carrier. California’s sheer size and highway safety laws already pose big obstacles for professional drivers trying to meet delivery deadlines, including its 55-mph speed limit for trucks, vast highway distances, and frequent traffic jams. If a driver faces an unexpected 1–2 hour wait to unload a shipment, they’re often late for the next delivery, too, creating snowballing delays that damage both their on-time performance and their income.
Independent drivers and trucking companies can sometimes ease the problem by communicating proactively with customers about expected delays, scheduling pickups and drop-offs at non-peak hours, using traffic apps to avoid congestion and bad weather, and ensuring that all their documents are complete and accurate. Beyond that, industry sources say, delivering loads on time often depends on the luck of the draw.
scheduled pickup at a customer’s facility only to find their load wasn’t ready or the products were still being manufactured. Another obstacle is a tendency among customers to overbook terminal facilities, resulting in a shortage of dock space. Industry sources also blame technological problems with customers’ operating systems
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Your Referrals Make a Difference! Thanks to your 82 referrals in December, we were able to donate $1,140 to help fight human trafficking and lead medical missions. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION To learn more about International Justice Mission and their mission to protect half a billion vulnerable people from exploitation, please go to IJM.org . MEDICAL MISSIONS OUTREACH To learn more about showing God’s love by providing quality medical treatment to some of the poorest people in the world, visit the Medical Missions Outreach home page at Medical-Outreach.com .
LICENSE ON THE LINE? Smart Strategies to Defend Your Right to Drive Most drivers aren’t sure how to respond when they receive a notice from the state that their license is at risk. These letters are issued automatically under California’s Negligent Operator Treatment System (NOTS), which adds points to driver’s licenses for paid fines, convictions, at-fault accidents, and other infractions. The stakes for these drivers are high. Those who accumulate too many points risk having their licenses suspended or even revoked, damaging their ability to make a living, support their families, and maintain their quality of life. However, if they act quickly, drivers also have the right to defend themselves. Recipients have 10 days to request a hearing before a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) hearing officer. As experienced traffic attorneys, one of the most common questions we hear is, “What should I expect at a NOTS hearing?” The second most common question is often: “Do I need an attorney?” You aren’t required to have a lawyer at these hearings, but having one can sure help to get a positive outcome. A skilled attorney can review all the evidence in your case, challenge and win dismissal of flawed evidence, present a tailored defense, speak for you in the hearing, and appeal your case if necessary. Particularly if you are a CDL holder, we can often increase the point count or avoid the suspension through a set aside, probation, or other means. We have helped numerous clients with NOTS hearings. We are up-to- date on all the latest changes in the law, and we know how to make sure that the hearing officer is aware of all available evidence in your favor. In the face of a strong defense, penalties may be reduced, or the state’s case against the driver might even be dismissed.
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.” 2 TIMOTHY 1:9
If your license is at risk, call us today. We can help you develop a clear plan for your defense and peace of mind that we have your back.
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, APC HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS BIGGER
Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español BakersfieldTrafficTickets.com
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1701 Westwind Drive Suite 203 Bakersfield, CA 93301
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Family Bonding in an Annual Goal-Setting Ritual ...................................................................... PAGE 1
Tiny Paws, Big Rescue: Kitten Helps Man Survive Mountain Ordeal.................................... PAGE 2
Worsening Freight-Terminal Delays Impose Rising Costs on Truckers.................................... PAGE 2
Don’t Panic: Defend Your License in a NOTS Hearing................................................................... PAGE 3
Even the Loudest Sounds Can’t Be Heard in Space.................................................................. PAGE 4
Have a ticket in California? Give us a call, and we’ll help you out! Regardless of the location, we can point you in the right direction free of charge!
The Science Behind a Universe Without Sound SILENT SPACE
Life on Earth can be hazardous to the human ear. Although sounds at 85 decibels or more can damage people’s hearing after two hours of exposure, rock concert fans regularly experience 130 decibels, and exploding fireworks may reach 150–175 decibels. However, you wouldn’t need earplugs or noise-canceling headphones to listen for any of those activities in outer space. In fact, the product of any loud sound in outer space is … crickets. How can the rich smorgasbord of sounds we hear on Earth not exist in space? Sound cannot exist in a vacuum. To be heard, sound waves require a source, a medium to travel in, and a receiver.
The vibrations caused by a jet plane taking off reach 120–140 decibels or more. Those sound waves travel through the medium of air surrounding the plane. If the powerful reverberations of the jet’s massive engines are loud enough, people nearby can hear them and feel the vibrations. The source, the medium, and the receiver work together like a successful defensive play in baseball: The batter (the source) hits a ball, the shortstop (the medium) fields and throws it to first base, and the first baseman (the receiver) catches the ball to complete the play. The play never happens if the shortstop (the medium) isn’t there! In space, the medium is the missing shortstop. Interplanetary space consists of nothingness, lacking the air, gas, or water to serve as a medium through which sound
waves can travel. So, when a person or machine emits a sound in outer space, the waves dissipate. A meteor plummeting toward Earth would not make a sound passing through the solar system. But as soon as it entered our planet’s atmosphere, which serves as a medium, we would hear any sound the meteor makes here on Earth. So, if you are ever fortunate enough to orbit the Earth on a space flight or visit the International Space Station, you can feast on dazzling views of Earth outside your window, and the thin blue line of its atmosphere blanketing the planet. But beyond your crewmates’ chatter and the sound of the spacecraft’s own engines, you will hear only a vast, interplanetary silence.
Matter vibrating in oscillations called sound waves allows us to hear sound.
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