Dear Reader:

My faithful friend, ” Big Red” ( the geranium) is the epitome of Hope- once thought gone but ” resurrected ” by my young neighbors through cloning… Big Red” has three buds starting to bloom just in time for Christmas . If you look carefully at the top two buds in the title picture ( leaning to the left) you will see them and one lower. When they are fully open they will outshine/ cover the artificial decor behind them-” Big Red” IS Christmas! A survivor and thriver!

And this Christmas let’s all say a prayer of gratitude that our democracy survived from last year’s New Year attempt to destroy it and that our countrymen’s hearts be open to the most beautiful gift of freedom God has blessed us with…

I always pull daddy’s Christmas 1944 card to mother during WW II each Christmas and think how many of our families’ heroes sacrificed so much so we could continue to enjoy the freedom they fought so hard for… and my prayer , this Christmas, is that we don’t let it slip away.

There is something I need to share this Christmas and that is- this afternoon I am telling my last Children’s Christmas Eve Service story. It is time to pass the storytelling baton and our church is blessed to have the perfect person to take it and make the storytelling even bigger snd better-and she volunteered! Meant to be! Thank you Andi Stem for starting a whole new perspective on Christmas Eve storytelling. There is no doubt in my mind… it will be terrific!

Like the announcement says… I will be sharing my last and a favorite Christmas story this afternoon and tomorrow-Christmas Day-I will share that story with you!

So until tomorrow…

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh