derBayerische January/February 2022 - 3

TheSteeringColumn
It's that time of year again, and a good opportunity for reflection.
In keeping with Thanksgiving tradition, and New Year's, I've been thinking
about the cornucopia of blessings for which I am grateful.
I'm grateful for my darling wife and life partner, Saint Susan.
(She doesn't know that I call her that, but she's earned it after putting up with
me for so many years; now we're coming up on 30. Think about it - " 30 years
of Jack? Every day? Yup, she must be a saint alright. " ) SueBee (google it;
you'll get it), you are my rock - true blue, steadfast, and reliable.
I'm grateful for my sons, John and James. You are the apples of
my eye.
I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had in my life. Yes, I did the work
to capitalize on those opportunities, and sometimes opportunities are made,
but sometimes they are gifts.
I'm grateful for my life experiences. I'm fond of saying that at the end of
life, looking back, I want my regrets to be regrets of commission, not regrets
of omission. So, while I've crunched a car on each of Summit Point's circuits
over the last twenty years (my Showroom Spec Miata on the Main, my beloved
1996 Corvette Grand Sport on the Shenandoah, and my blurple E46 M3 on the
Jefferson), it would have been a bigger regret had I never had the nerve to go
club racing, or engage in Time Trials, or run in HPDE. (There's a story behind
each of those incidents, but I have a space limitation in this column. I guess
the short version would be that there's a balance between Drive It Like You
Stole It and Be Smart, Drive Within the Limits of Self, Car, and Weather.)
I'm grateful to have been of service to something bigger than myself:
my family, my HPDE students, my motorsports clubs & programs (including
dB and Street Survival), my work, my church.
I'm grateful for my co-editor, Mike Bevels. Mike may seem quiet, but he
is a 6'5 " bundle of quiet energy and initiative, kind of like a nuclear submarine.
Der Bayerische and I are fortunate to have you on board.
I'm grateful for dB's Production/Layout Manager, Raine Mantysalo.
The thing about watching master craftspeople at work is that they make the
difficult seem easy. Raine is the main reason that dB has the polished,
professional look that it does. Mike and I couldn't do it without you.
I'm grateful for my sister-and-brothers-from-other-mothers and for all my
friends (most of whom are from motorsports these days). My life is richer
because you are in it. Life is easier, and a lot more enjoyable, when shared
with friends.
I'm grateful to live in a country where all this has been possible: the land
of the free and the home of the brave. It may be imperfect, but so is everything
born of human endeavors. " In order to form a more perfect Union " is a
perpetual journey.
And I'm grateful for the wonder of the universe and the creations of
nature. However you believe that all this came to be, it's pretty amazing.
Thank you for allowing me to share.
v/r,
Jack Raymond
Co-editor
January I February
3
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derBayerische January/February 2022

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