How many of us really know our neighbors?  I know that I don’t know any of them, sharing a hello in passing is the only exchange that we experience.   I am sure that I am not the only one who has experienced this. I am also sure that I am not the only person that is bothered by this.  It can lead to a sense of loneliness and isolation that is hard to cope with.  Compound this with being far away from any friends or family and the feelings of isolation, and loneliness can grow to depression and affect quality of life of the individual.

Upon considering the matter, I have come to the conclusion that I must come up with some way for other students and individuals in my area to attempt to alleave the sense of loneliness that often accompanies the onset of the holiday season.   I thought on several different avenues that could be followed to reach my goal, but the one that I have settled on is a community potluck. 

                The basis for a potluck is to invite every neighbor and friend that you can get ahold of, and encourage them to each bring a dish of food to add together and create a massive multicultural feast for everyone to share and enjoy.  It also serves to give everyone in the neighborhood or community the chance to get to meet and know their neighbors that up to this time may never have had the chance to meet any of their neighbors. 

With a support system of friends, an individual can beat back the feelings of isolation and loneliness and prosper far from home, even when things begin to get tough.  

My Grandfather was the patriarch of my entire family, being a hard man and having served as a district attorney in my home county of Dewitt for over forty years he earned a tremendous amount of respect from his family and many other families in the community.  Due to this, any arguments or animosity that was held amongst my family was held at bay in order to avoid his wrath and brimstone as it were.  With this hierarchy in place our family worked together and prospered, had family reunions, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter get togethers just like any other family during these times of year.

                About ten years ago my Grandfather passed away, with no will and no directions for how his estate was to be divided.  At this moment, everything changed, the entire family was thrown into a bitter and greed filled fight that lasted until just this last year.  The chain of events, that are too many to describe here, left my family in shambles.  

                As to the effect of my extended family, I know very little.  We have long since cut ties, but for my immediate family the effects have been dramatic.  Being a single parent household, the cost of fighting an estate battle was very expensive.  We spent many Christmases just enjoying the gift of spending time together, because there was no money for extravagant presents to share.  Before too long, my brother parted ways from our family due to a severe disagreement that was only made worse by the stress from a lack of funds that we had at our disposal.   

                This last May I found out that my Fiancé and I are due to become parents; our son will be here the beginning of January.  At the sound of this my Mother, a very strict woman, was so disappointed in me that she has cut ties as well, leaving me with no family for the holidays, except for that of my fiancé’s.  Although I know I will enjoy spending time with my in-laws during the upcoming holidays, the absence of my own family is already weighing heavy on me.  These chains of events has really driven home how important it is to cherish every moment that a person is blessed to have with their family and loved ones. 

As of now I am focusing on preparing for the arrival of my son and trying to make my fiancé as comfortable as possible.  By keeping my mind on the huge positive change that is quickly approaching, I can overlook the loneliness that would likely otherwise overshadow a time of year that is meant to be spent being merry and spreading joy. When my son is old enough to appreciate the holidays, I will make sure that he will never know what it is like not to have a loving family to cherish him and smother him in love and kisses.

                                               Traditional Bow Hunter Magazine (http://www.tradbow.com/public/main.cfm) has proven over the years to be a fantastic resource for archers of all shades since 1989. It was started by T. J. Conrads a traditional bow hunter who loved the sport and was tired of the lack of information in current archery magazines that was donated to traditional archery. So he compiled a publication that could be a resource for traditional bow hunters to share knowledge, experience and stories.  There are also many advertisements that traditional archers find very useful when it comes to custom archery services.  The services include everything from string fabricators, bowyers, arrow smiths, and stave suppliers.  And what’s more, the majority of the advertisers are just folks working out of their garages or small shops, not big corporations, making the entire feel of the publication very personable. 

                     The subscribers to the magazine are generally outdoor people who enjoy a more traditional approach to hunting and being in the outdoors.  This isn’t to say that compound bow hunters or gun hunters don’t enjoy and subscribe to the magazine as a source of how to tips and archery related articles.  Many of the experiences and emotions exhibited in the articles are relatable to not only compound and traditional bow hunters but hunters of all techniques. The telling of hunting stories, whether they are successful or not, truly helps to make a connection with the heart of any hunter no matter their age.  One of the main contributing writers of Traditional Bow Hunter Magazine, G. Fred Asbell, (http://www.tradbow.com/public/department43.cfm) has written a vast array of useful articles and several books, all pertaining to traditional archery. Throughout the publication of the magazine, myself and many other readers have found Mr. Asbell’s writing to be extremely rich in information pertaining to all aspects of bow hunting. His works have included anything from tips on stalking game to the benefit of long distance target practice.  (http://www.tradbow.com/public/141.cfm)

On a personal level his knowledgeable contributions to the magazine have helped me tremendously to become a better and more proficient bow hunter and target archer. Mr. Asbell is only one of the many well versed writers that are featured in the bi-monthly publication that include the greats of the archery world like Fred Eichler, Dave Sigerslid, and Gene Wensel. 

There are also many advertisements that traditional archers find very useful when it comes to custom archery services.  The services include everything from string fabricators, bowyers, arrow smiths, and stave suppliers.  And what’s more, the majority of the advertisers are just folks working out of their garages or small shops, not big corporations, making the entire feel of the publication very personable. 

                    Traditional Bow Hunter Magazine offers various featured articles every issue. (http://www.tradbow.com/public/department15.cfm) They are usually how-to’s, interviews, and hunting stories. The how-to articles consist of anything that have to do with traditional archery, such as sharpening broad heads, fabricating your own strings, and finding blood trails. The interviews are always with influential professionals like ecologists, bowyers, and hunting guides. However, in my opinion, the best reads in the magazine are the hunting stories, and they are plentiful! Many of these stories consist of exotic, North American wilderness, and local Texas hunts.

This magazine promotes the utmost respect and ethical treatment of the hunting of wild game. There are no bloody hero pictures or gratuitous fabrications to make the contributor look better than they are. Many of the hunting articles end without the taking of any wild game, only memories. By seeing professionals in the field behaving in a responsible manner it makes it easier for the laymen to justify going out of his way to do the right thing and thereby help to portray hunting in a very positive light.  The motto of Traditional Bow Hunter Magazine is “Progress does not necessarily mean letting go of tradition.” I firmly believe in this motto and that it is helping to preserve all aspects of traditional bow hunting. Not only does this magazine have informational texts and articles but it is helping to attract a more diverse interest in traditional bow hunting.  And as we all know, the only way to keep our hunting heritages alive and well is to proliferate participants who are ethical and honest individuals to portray our sport in as positive light as possible to an otherwise ignorant public.