It’s been a marvelous year considering the fallen soldiers. If you look at what we have all accomplished, the things we have discovered, the people met, the jobs executed, the things learned, it’s really been a marvelous year.

I am very grateful, of course, for my friendship with Edith. She is a wonderful friend and a great companion. She has always been loving towards my family, and she’s been a brick through many difficulties.

My family is bursting at the seams, and for that I’m grateful.

At school, the families have been outstanding, caring, supportive, interested, and generous. You can’t ask for a better group of parents. It is for this reason that we do as much as we can. In years passed, we tried and no matter what, most of what we did was received with little enthusiasm. In the last year or two, that’s changed significantly, and we couldn’t ask for more.

This coming year should be a lot of fun. I plan to bring my sewing machine to school. I will be on the lookout for books on puppets, puppet lore, and a puppet house.

For summer, we are considering a Safari theme. I found out that a family pass at the zoo is reciprocal, and that nearly any zoo in the nation is free to those who buy a family pass. The pass is $45.00. This would allow us to take the children to different city zoos in about 3 different states. This year, we have a young group, and a zoo is a really neat place for young children. We’ve been to the Louisville zoo, but it cost $600. 00 to do it in gate charges. With the price of gas, I think we could manage perhaps three places, but only with those family passes which would allow parents a place to take children on special occasions and all during the year.

We are also thinking about school uniform swim suits. Something plain. It’s so much easier to identify children who are wearing the same suit.

We could also do the last summer hurrah at Pound’s Hollow Lake. With enough warning, parents could take off one day and come with us, and take their own children to the cliffs for rock climbing. We could spend the day and do a cook out and beach party.

We still plan on going to the pool two days a week. Maybe we will do punch passes this year instead of family passes.

Lots of things to consider, but this is the time of the year when all that stuff is put together.

This year, Spring Sing will include a puppet show.

And the St. Patrick’s Day play will include some new costumes.

I wish all of you a splendid Christmas, a safe vacation, a beautiful new year. God’s light be upon you all.