Written by the Lodestar Solutions Team, November 18th, 2021
This week we are going to take a brief time out from our normal value driven IBM Cognos and coaching blogs. We at Lodestar Solutions have a lot to be thankful for both personally and professionally. Please take a moment and read our thoughts below.
Heather Cole
2021 Started out as a year of hope. The vaccine was being released and I think we all hoped that life would return to “normal.” But what is normal? Despite the fact for many of us the world might not have gotten back to where we wished I believe there is still a lot to be grateful for!
I am thankful for being asked to speak at various virtual events. I love inspiring people and missed the stage. I am grateful I have been able to surround myself with amazing individuals remotely like our clients, the new global Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics User Group for which I am a founding member, my fellow high-performance coaches and of course my family and friends. I love being around people that challenge me to think bigger and act bolder. On a personal note, my husband Gary was given his green card, so I get to keep him. We also added a new furry to our family, Louie. But most of all I am grateful my family and friends have been safe during this uncertain time.
Mike Bernaiche
Thanksgiving is always a great time of the year to really sit and take stock on what you have to be thankful for. As I write this, I’m thankful for so many things both professionally and personally.
In a time when many have had to change their career path due to the pandemic, I’m blessed to have a stable job and work for a company that provides so many opportunities for growth and development. I work with the best clients, peers and team members a guy could ask for.
Personally, I’m so thankful and blessed by my family. My wife is an amazing partner in life and the best wife and friend a person can ask for. My oldest daughter is a senior in college (yes, I’m starting to feel old) scheduled to graduate in May 2022. We had another daughter graduate high school in June and she is now in college working towards her future goals. Our other daughter is now a senior in high school and is applying to a number of colleges and is very interested in political science as a major. My wife and I are basically empty nesters now and we are so very proud of our children and how successful they are at such young ages.
In a time where Covid is still a major issue, we all have health and happiness and for that I’m forever grateful.
Christina Vandeveer
As the year draws closer to the end, I feel I have a lot to be thankful for. In May my husband and I welcomed our 3rd boy to the world, Hunter Thomas Vandeveer. We rescued a four-year-old Boxer named Clark. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. We have overall had good health as a family, getting through COVID together at the end of my pregnancy. I am thankful for my work with Lodestar Solutions, being able to work from home and be a full-time mom to my three boys and still contribute to the work force. I am able to have such valuable time with my boys when they seem to be getting so big too fast!
As I reflect on the year, I am reminded how easy it is to forget what I have to be thankful for and sometimes focus on the struggles the year has brought. 2021 has not been easy, we are still battling the pandemic and are living in a world that can seem so full of anger and loss. It sometimes is easier to just succumb to the weight of the world than to try to find the joy in every day. My encouragement to you and reminder to myself is to not take one day for granted. We are not promised tomorrow. We have to choose each day how we will live. We can complain about what we don’t have or choose to focus on all we have to be thankful for. I am thankful for so many wonderful people that make a difference in my life for the better every day and I pray that I will choose to do the same. Wishing you and your family a happy Thanksgiving!
Recent Lodestar Solutions Blogs
If you are looking for our recent blogs on IBM Cognos topics, I have listed them here for your easy access.
Cognos Analytics 11.2.1 – What’s New! - Lodestar Solutions
Scenario Planning with IBM Planning Analytics - Lodestar Solutions
What’s New in Planning Analytics Workspace Version 67 and 68 - Lodestar Solutions
Thank You
As you can read, we have a lot to be thankful for at Lodestar Solutions. Thank you to all our clients for an amazing year. We sincerely appreciate you and the relationships we have developed. Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy a Thanksgiving Heather, Mike, and Christina! May you all have a great wonderful year ahead, full of a lot more blessings. ❤️