Dear Reader:

I can’t believe it! A most wonderful Christmas present. Finally I have told my story! This would have been so overwhelming if Mollie hadn’t acted on this opportunity when she heard about the concept of StoryWorth and spear-headed the initiative-she selected one question a week for 52 weeks and that question popped up every Monday morning… bright and early. I tried to respond and send my response back immediately… though we had a week to do so. By the end of the year every part of my life had been covered.

Mollie told me the book had come in right before I left to go on the Thanksgiving trip and she wanted to know if I wanted to take it with me and share with Tommy and Kaitlyn but I was terrified I would leave it in the lodge room or forget where I put it… plus I knew we would be so busy it would be hard to find quiet time to spend on it.

After I got home… I stayed up almost all night reading it and praying there weren’t a lot of mistakes-one or two but overall just fine! What a relief! All the pictures were in black and white-a few were a little dark but considering they were pictures of pictures… pretty darn good.

Today I will share a section about the Christmas traditions that started when the grandchildren began arriving and how due to the pandemic and time… itself… how traditions change over time-much to our initial sadness but an important metamorphosis about life. Change is the one constant we mortals are guaranteed.

Until last year the grandchildren came to Boo’s house for their

stockings, a snowball fight, light refreshments and then to church to hear Boo tell her annual Christmas story-that tradition ended last year with COVID-19-Walsh and Mollie had the family Christmas Eve party at their house and that will continue this year -I will miss everyone but realize everyone, except me lives in Mt Pleasant-traditions change

Receiving Joan Turner’s hand-painted Christmas card of the mother dog…Lucy’s family who she saved off the Highway has changed this year too since Mickey-the last dog of the original litter passed away at Thanksgiving. But Mandy told me a new dog has arrived-so will have too see what this year’s card holds!

And who can forget Honey arriving with a pineapple, apples and greenery every year to create the best-smelling centerpiece around!

The longest Christmas tradition ( 31 years) is the Christmas Eve Storytelling at the Children’s five o’ clock service-last year I pre-recorded it and this year, weather permitting I will be storytelling outside… changes continue-but then so does life.

So until tomorrow…we must remind ourselves that change does not change tradition-it strengthens it.

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh