2011 New Year Resolution Report

My 2011 New Year’s Resolution Results

Back at the end of September I posted about my New Year’s resolution and how I was failing at it.  My resolution was that I was going to remember and name one person each day of the year who has had an important positive impact on my life.  I would write their name in my pocket calendar, one each day.  By the end of July, and until the end of September, I had stalled.  But then I got a renewed perspective on my resolution and thought I might actually be able to complete it, identify three hundred sixty-five different people who have had an important positive impact on my life.  I said, at the end of September, that no matter how it turned out, I would, in my first post of January 2012, list all the names I have.  Here they are, month-by-month.  If I missed your name, you will have to let me know about it.  Please don’t be offended if your name is not in January or February, but doesn’t appear until October or November.  Instead, you might be flattered that I realized late the important role you have had in my life.  On the other hand, since I said that I was expanding my criteria to include those who had a positive impact by being an example of the kind of person I did not want to become, you might be left guessing where you stand.  I hope you know.  If you don’t, you can ask me.

January: Eric Snider Sr., Mildred Snider, Beth Snider, Kevin Snider, Jayne Snider, Jim Riccitelli, Dick Eddy, Dave Lankey, Charlie Burggraf, Tony Ibarra, Biz Hus, Kevin Thomas, Karen Larabel, Ryan Lankey, Tom Veltkamp, Tom Fraser, Dan Snider, Karol Veltkamp, Steve Taylor, Rich Mouw, Paul Reasoner, John Sarnecki, Jon Whitman, Jim Howe, Steve Pennington, Craig Black, Marissa Perez, Carl Snider, Richard Swinburne, Alasdair MacIntyre, John Hare.

February: George Bevins, Kathi Grifhorst, Tom Snider, Chris Snider, Katie Snider, Mark Armstrong, Mike Faehnle, Jon Brinkman, Al Plantinga, Nick Smith, Gregory Vlastos, Mark McPherran, Henry Teloh, Matt Kelly, Matt VanCleave, Jeff Stoudt, Ashley Fernandez, Jean Bird, Henry Bird, Brian Diemer, Phil Cumings, Jayne Fettig, Cindy DeVries, Vicki Cumings, Jerry Lockhard, Dan Schutter, Carol Smoes, Sherry Terry.

March: Clark Stiles, Duane Watson, Kurt Busman, Ron Reimink, Ray VanArragon, Rich Sherry, Kathy Nevins, Dan Yim, Neal Dutton, Ken Steinbach, Chris Gehrz, AnneMarie Kooistra, Sam Mulberry, Bernon Lee, Herb Johnson, Brian Lepel, John Kieger, Chris Franks, Peter Anderson, Alicia Graf, Marilou Bowers, John Bowers, Gerald Wright, Georgina Wright, Charles Wright, Darlene Wright, Duane Babcock, Ben Levitz, Jon Veenker, Dan Graf, Judd Halvorsen.

April: Doug Sjoquist, Bill Hodges, Kristy Cumings, Bob Cumings, Mack Cumings, Vanessa Cumings, Dan Klein, Noah Veltkamp, Levi Veltkamp, Grace Veltkamp, Aubrey Veltkamp Volmar, Erica Van Koevering, Neil Van Koevering, Frank Opocensky, Joe Opocensky, Julian Davies, Rick Brunner, Dave Komives, Mark Thompson, Sean Smith, Andy Schoonover, Bill Sibrel, David Schoonover, Corey Rees, Larry Olson, Kevin Carmody, Jeff Sessions, Donald Miller, Philip Yancey, David James Duncan.

May: Flannery O’Connor, R.M. Hare, David Burchett, C.S. Lewis, Jamie Shivers, Francis Schaeffer, Fred Miller Jr., Robert Turnbull, Wilbur Eifert, Ken Konyndyk, Greg Mellema, Del Ratzsch, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Al Hoekstra, Jim Bellamy, Nancy Nottingham, Louise VanKampen, Brian Thompson, Mr. Reimink, Mr. Norm Romanski, Mr. Bylsma, Miss Boer, Mr. Holmes, Mr. DeGuess, Bertrand Russell, Rene Descartes, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Ludwig Wittgenstein.

June: G.E.M. Anscombe, Donald Davidson, Saul Kripke, Martha Nussbaum, Julia Annas, J.L. Austin, Anthony Flew, Richard Wright, Tom Mayberry, Allen Cumings, Jason Mayland, Tom Kiever, Molly Cryderman Weber, Donna Clingersmith, Jayne Taylor, Lynn Hagen, Tom Hagen, Josiah in shipping and receiving, Lucy Starr, Joanna Wilson, Amy Jeffers, Jim Campbell, Linda Campbell, Rick Gaillardetz, Brad Crowell, Al Mele, John Heil, Linda Smith, Roger Lamrock, Michael Nealon.

July: Sara Shady, Dan Taylor, Tom Becknell, Joey Horstman, Mark Reasoner, Jim Bielby, Michael Jakobson, Rich Edwards, Al Cave, Steve the Aldringham UPS man, Ralph Popma, Rolf Dietrich, Gordy Hankinson, Marilyn Hankinson, Roy Wright, Mike Sessions Sr., Vera Sessions, Vernon Cumings, Mary Cumings, George Blum, Chester Amburgey, Don White, Rupert Loyd, Ed Dobson, Rob Bell, Dave Cumings, J.O. Urmson, A.J. Ayer, Gilbert Ryle, Immanuel Kant, Soren Kierkegaard.

August: Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Homer, Virgil, John Calvin, Roger Olson, Ian Hacking, 80 year old Aldringham Drive mailman, Stod Johnson, Leonore Johnson, Ed our 90 year old Southwood Drive neighbor, Steve Thatcher, Don Fothergill, Ray Befus, Grandpa Carl Snider, Grandma Clara Snider, Aunt Joyce Horne, Aunt Kathy Youngs, Uncle Jerry Youngs, Mark Youngs, Mike Tolhurst, Mark Tolhurst, Donald Sherburne, Charles Scott, Mike Hodges, Clyde the waiter at Marino’s, Tim the waiter at Marino’s, Albert Spiegel, Wendy Snider, Lydia Erickson, Ben at Japanese Auto.

September: John at Japanese Auto, John Drake, Paul at Now Bikes, Mike at Now Bikes, Dr. William Facey, Dr. David Mallory, Dr. Deborah Guntsch, Dr. Michael Weisbrod, Rod Kalajainen, Kelvin Frizzell, Chris Klein, Rex Sims, David Cleary, Watson Fong, Mark Wolowiec, Mark Cahn, Larry Bohnsack, Loren Simons, Frankie Andreu, Brian Rafalski, Rachel Steele, Jaime Galambos, Aaron Grier, Andrea Fisher, Keith Marston, Cathy Simons, Luke Gruber, Rick Erickson, Bono, Aaron Gephardt.

October: Belinda Lankey, Dr. Joseph Lentini, Socrates, Craig Webb, Michael Stipe, Natalie Merchant, Nanci Griffith, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lucinda Williams, Jim Harrison, Norman Maclean, Ernest Hemingway, Peter Buck, Perry Farrell, Kurt Cobain, Billy Corgan, Eddie Vedder, Johnny Cash, Sting, The Edge, Uncle Bill Russell, Aunt Nancy Russell, Uncle Carl Snider, Brian Snider, Daryl Snider, Doug Larabel, Rich Mullins, Michael Card, Michael W. Smith, Matt Hammitt, Chris Rohman.

November: David Crowder, Matt Redman, Rebecca St. James, Chris Tomlin, Sophocles, William Shakespeare, Ludwig von Beethoven, J. S. Bach, Amadeus Mozart, Jennifer Knapp, Toni Glascoe, “Chicken” Brown, Todd Troutman, Mike Iannone, Shauntey James, Tom Kirchen, Paul Jurczak, Tammy Phinney, Mary Speiser, Anne Lamott, Miroslav Volf, Uncle Bud Horne, G.F. Handel, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Puccini, Billie Holiday, Edie Brickell, Norah Jones

December: Jewel, Alanis Morissette, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young, Ellen Handler Spitz, Shawn Colvin, Suzanne Vega, Twila Paris, Elizabeth Hunnicutt, Sara Groves, Sergei Rachmoninoff, Garrison Keillor, Stefan van Voorst, Cathy Davison, Martin Luther, Menno Simons, Michael Sattler, Andy Cling, Paul Moser, Dave Barnes, Karen McGee, Steve Clark, Tony Gwinn, Tony Dungy, F.M. Cornford, Lewis Smedes, Mark VanVugt, Tim O’Brien, Mildred Walker, Harry Middleton.