As we approach Christmas, I think about our tag line of 'Celebrating a Life' and realize that we need to be more conscious of doing that every day with our family and friends, not just at the end of one's life.  This is the perfect time to give thanks to God for all of the gifts of family and friends that we have.  I personally am thankful for the gifts (not physical but spiritual and ethical) my parents bestowed upon me.  Don't wait for a funeral to thank God for that life, and don't wait to tell that person you love him or her. And I am thankful for the lessons my sons have taught me.  And it's during the Christmas season that our children can teach us so much.  One son in particular impressed upon Theresa and me the concept of taking care of nature and sharing, when he insisted that we could not leave Santa cookies and milk without leaving each reindeer two or three whole carrots apiece.  (Did you know that reindeer only eat whole carrots?  No, you cannot slice them!)  What we learned was that certain Tupperware containers are not transparent, so we didn't waste any, and that there are 101 carrot soup/salad/casserole recipes that are really quite good! To parents with young children, this is a special time to enjoy.  Don't stress the small stuff.  It might make for a good family story in the future. And then thank God again for those crazy, little, wonderful people! Merry Christmas God's Blessings! Jeff