The definition of passion is, ?The object of somebody?s intense interest or enthusiasm?, and suitably applies to my love for coin collecting among other things.

Greetings all, my father always told me, ?If something is worth doing, to do it right the first time.? Consequently, whenever I put my mind to do something, I do it with passion. This applies to all areas of my life, up to, and including coin collecting. How else can I explain the expenditures and time I spend on this hobby? As an extra bonus, other things I am passionate about fit very well into my collecting hobby. For instance, I love writing and Collector?s Society provides a wonderful forum, whereas I can write about the hobby I love. Coins as mementos of American history allow me to research and express my love for history in my coins? owner descriptions. As a perfectionist with an obsessive personality, I am always striving to improve the photographs of my coins. Simply put, there are few aspects of coin collecting that I do not enjoy. In fact, if you cut me, sometimes I wonder if I would bleed silver and gold!

The true test of passion though is over time, and with the passing of time, does it increase or decrease? Genuine passion increases over time as coin collecting has proven to be for me. However, if all there was to collecting coins was collecting coins; I would soon be bored.

Coins are objects that can neither give affection nor receive it. Life is about relationships; relationships with God, family, friends, acquaintances, and whomever you come across in day-to-day living. For instance, if I could not share my collection with someone else, I would not enjoy this hobby as much as I do. In a matter of speaking, coins are a tool with which to establish and develop relationships with people of like minds. Your collections and journal posts serve to fuel my passion for collecting, and I pray that I have the same effect on you. The Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays cause me to reflect on how thankful I am to have you.

When it comes to passion, there is an order in those things of which I am most passionate and first in importance, is my relationship with God. After my relationship with God is my relationship with my wife and kids, my friends and acquaintances, and so forth. When and if my coin collection takes the place of any of these relationships, it is then I need to step back from collecting. Unfortunately, there is no one in my family interested in coin collecting, so I must find other ?tools? to develop my relationships with them. What is encouraging though is that when I take steps towards them, they take steps towards me. I pray that you have a blessed holiday season with those who are most special in your life.

Speaking of Christmas and passion, it is God, who passionately gave us the unimaginable gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ to all who believe in him. In the spirit and tradition of Christmas, the coin pictured below, from my ?Inspirational Ladies? custom set is an NCS XF details 1868 Bavarian 1 Taler that I purchased while I was living in Germany. The portrait on the reverse is that of Mary and the baby Jesus seated in the clouds. The obverse features a bust of the king of Bavaria, King Ludwig II. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Gary