Happy Day after Thanksgiving! Are you still full? Are you maybe looking in the refrigerator and wondering what you are ever going to do with all of that food now that company has left? We could easily serve fifteen people with what is left in our refrigerators. Our company is all still here. Julie and Jim, (and the dogs), & Lisa and Amanda. It made for a wonderful Thanksgiving Day; lots food, lots of conversation, and lots of love. I do love it when we actually get all of the family together or at least when we can get some of the family together. I'm now looking forward to summer when we all go to Gatlinngburg, TN for a week.

It has been a couple of days since I last wrote. That is because Ms. Kate and I have been scrambling around trying to get things done for this holiday, and we got a lot done. Besides just the normal shopping and stuff, Ms. Kate got the Christmas cookies baked. There are now containers of cookies all over the dining room table. Ms. Kate intends to bag cookies up for each of the girls to take home to their family and she will also be sending some off to Heather and to Josh. That will leave just enough around here that I can have some and not over indulge.

Thanksgiving meal around here consisted of all the things a meal should; turkey, oyster dressing and regular dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, corn, green bean casserole, freshmade rolls, coffee, and a bottle of Biltmore Estate wine. I don't think any of us ate more than one plate of food which hardly seems to justify all of the hours of planning and cooking Ms. Kate put in to the preparation. But, we didn't really need to gorge ourselves and frankly I felt as though I had eaten a ton of food. Ms. Kate is a marvelous cook. But --- Dr. Jackson has given me until March to get my blood sugars down or he is going to put me on pills and I don't want to even think about adding any pills to my diet. So, I guess I better start exercising and watching my food intake a little. Tough to think about during holiday season.

But yesterday wasn't about food or football. Yesterday was about being thankful for our blessings and I certainly am. I and my famiy are relatively healthy. We have homes, we have jobs, we can buy what we need and we are a family that genuinely loves one anther and loves to be around each other. We care for other and do what we can to serve our fellowman and we each have some variety or level of a relationship with God. What else would a person need? So, as we continue on through this holiday weekend, I pray that the kids will all make it home safely. I also pray that this world can have a day of total peace. I also offer you God's blessings and peace.

Until next time --- shalomn.