This Christmas Season

Friends and Family:

This Christmas season, there's a lot to be thankful about around our house. Our grandson Markus is almost 16 months old, and every day we spend with him is a joy. Not every moment, you understand; as I said, he IS about 16 months old, and those teeth are still coming in. But watching him learn and grow is truly amazing. I've found I remember a lot more than I've forgotten about raising kids, and I hope that Kayla and Bobby can say that I've kept my mouth shut when I needed to, and let them be the parents. And while no one is 100% perfect as a new parent, Kayla has grown into the role even better than I'd hoped. Bobby's been there before with his 6-year-old daughter Aaliyah, and his moderating influence can be seen in Markus' upbringing as well.

This Christmas season, we're thankful to have Andy back from Iraq, where he spent last Christmas at Camp Stryker. And when Andy and Jennifer came in this past weekend from their home in Savannah, GA, they surprised us with the news that we'll have another grandchild, either Ella or Eli, joining the family around the end of June or the first of July. And while we already miss Andy's cats, Toby and Othakitti, who left with Andy and Jennifer to make their new home in Georgia, we know that our new grandchild will have a couple of built-in companions who'll be attentive to his/her every cry, laugh, or burp...as they've been with Markus over the past year.

This Christmas season, we're thankful that Mamaw Turley will be home to share the holiday with us. At age 97, while we've noticed that she's not quite as steady on her feet as she was not so long ago, we're thankful that we'll have one more opportunity to gather the family and share the holidays with her. Lots of families don't have opportunities like this, and I hope that we cherish this one as much as we should.

This Christmas season, Sherry and I are spending a lot more time in the kitchen making all sorts of special holiday treats. Sherry and I made a couple of batches of her mother's no-bake fruitcake, and I think Helen would've been proud of the outcome. Over the last few years, I've been making and giving away loaves of Pappy's beer bread for the holidays. I know how much pride he took in his beer bread, and I hope I'm carrying on the tradition in much the same spirit in which he did. Sherry and I have also been baking and sharing loaves of Amish cinnamon bread, but sometimes waiting the 10 days for the starter to "finish" makes me feel...well, like a kid at Christmas season. And tonight Sherry and I are trying our hand at making bourbon balls for the first time. We'll know how that one turns out sometime tomorrow, but the preliminary results are quite encouraging. And after being moderately successful with the sweet potato pie I made for Thanksgiving, I'm considering making one for our family Christmas get-together as well. In years past, we used to count on other folks to make the holiday goodies; now that we have grandchildren of our own, it's starting to dawn on me that it's going to be up to my generation to make the seasonal treats that the kids of all ages look forward to year after year.

And this Christmas season, we're thankful for all our friends who have given us support and encouragement when we've needed it, who've shared our burdens when we needed help, who've sent a joke or a thoughtful message when we've needed a lift, and who've pretty much just been there when we needed someone to ask "How's it going?" We realize that without our friends, and without our families, this would be a pretty bleak existence. So if you receive this message, know that we appreciate you for who you are and what you do...even if we don't see, call, or email one another as often as we probably should.

This Christmas season...may we all once again find all the hope and joy and wonder that we all knew when we were kids, and may the Christmas season be magical for you and your loved ones once again this year. And may God richly bless you in the coming year with companionship, love, laughter and all that's important in life.