Well, with Thanksgiving two weeks away, I guess you can say we
are about into the Holiday Season and I have many things for which
to be thankful and I believe, can appreciate them more than ever I
just spent 8 days in the hospital in September again, much to our
surprise but now am back to normal and I feel wonderful something I
haven’t been able to say for quite awhile. AND we are anxiously
the 1st of December. Father and I spent last week end with Eddie
and wife, Kathi, and we were so happy to visit them as we
hadn’t made the trip since last January to illnesses and
commitments at home. We also visited with her parents and
grandparents and had lots of good food and a good ‘gab’
session.
Time flies, doesn’t it? and we are experiencing the normal
events of everyday living Keli has just gotten her first pair of
glasses and although one looks rather strange at first glance after
never wearing them, she seems to be one of those people who looks
quite well in them, at least we think so, but one little friend
told her ‘You shouldn’t wear them, they are too big, the
color isn’t right and the shape is wrong for your face.’
Ugh with friends like that who needs enemies? Mother also had her
glasses changed and she is now in bi-focals (no remarks please).
Donnie is again plagued with his yearly case of eczema. Father has
his fall cold, daughter Dana finally wrangled our reluctant consent
to have her ears pierced and Tommie is busy picking up new words
and habits and so it seems to me we look like a normal family
facing the Holiday Season and getting ready to greet the New Year
hope we have the courage to face what it has in store for us.
I have a letter from Miles A. Lusk, R. R. 2, Knox, Pennsylvania
16232 and he writes, ‘A good friend of mine, Gusty Sample of
1326 Beard Ave., Cambridge, Ohio is looking for pals interested in
building small steam engines and who live near him to work with him
in his shop. He is retired and likes to build engines and boilers,
etc. but would enjoy his hobby more if he had someone to work with.
Perhaps someone nearby also would like a good pal to work with and
one of your subscribers would like to contact him. Gusty isn’t
much of a writer so I thought I would send this in for him. Thanks
for any help you can give him. ‘Now, isn’t that a good
friend? If you can help Gusty drop him a line or Miles.
I haven’t any news to relate to you but I ran across this
little bit a few days ago called RECIPE FOR A HAPPY NEW YEAR’
Take twelve, fine, full-grown months, see that these are thoroughly
free from all old memories of bitterness, rancor, hate and
jealousy; cleanse them completely from every clinging spite; pick
off all specks of pettiness and littleness; in short, see that
these months are freed from all the past have them as fresh and
clean as when they first came from the great storehouse of
Time.
Cut these months into thirty or thirty-one equal parts. This
batch will keep for just one year. Do not attempt to make up the
whole batch at one time (so many persons spoil the entire lot in
this way), but prepare one day at a time, as follows:
Into each day put twelve parts of faith, eleven of patience, ten
of courage, nine of work (some people omit this ingredient and so
spoil the flavor of the rest), eight of hope, seven of fidelity,
six of liberality, five of kindness, four of rest (leaving this out
is like leaving the oil out of the salad don’t do it), three of
prayer, two of meditation, and one well selected resolution. If you
have no conscientious scruples, put in about a tea-spoonful of good
spirits, a dash of fun, a pinch of folly, a sprinkling of play and
a heaping cupful of good humor. Pour into the whole love ad libitum
and mix with a vim. Cook thoroughly in a fervent heat; garnish with
a few smiles and a sprig of joy; then serve with quietness,
unselfishness, and cheerfulness, and a HAPPY NEW YEAR is a
certainty. H.M.S.’
Well that’s about it, now do have a blessed and happy
Christmas season take time to get the real meaning of Christmas
enjoy baking those cookies and trimming that tree enjoy those
friendly greetings from friends and neighbors watch the glow on the
children’s faces and I could go on and on but I’m going to
close with an excerpt from Charles Dickens ‘A Christmas
Carol’ and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep
Christmas well May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so,
as Tiny Tim observed, God bless us, Every One!