It Is Christmas Morning 2017

Merry Christmas Family and Friends!  

I've been thinking about Christmas cards and the Christmas blog I used to create with several posts about our year, the family, the grandkids. Before that it was the Christmas newsletter of the stories and adventures of the year.  There would be favorite music and activities we love and above all our well wishes for you and your family.  I'd always share our feelings about The Reason for The Season and more.

When I was growing up and even after we were married, I'd love to go through all the cards my parents would receive from our relatives and friends who lived far away.  My mom put them all in a basket and it was so much fun to look at them.  I would always open each one with anticipation, hoping there would be news inside of the people in our lives that we cherished. I remember how I would feel disappointed if we hadn't received any news about them  throughout the year and they had just signed their name.  That always left me wanting more.

Communication has really changed over the years with more and more social media platforms and texting that allow us all to catch up and share these kinds of things throughout the year without being face to face.  

What seems missing now even with all the newsy kinds of things we get on Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, is the opportunity to share our love for each of you and express our gratitude for the gifts you have given us through your friendship, your encouragement and prayers.  I also miss seeing your wonderful examples of being such great people in person. We love spending time with you whenever possible.   We miss it when we can't.  We appreciate the help you have given to us and for allowing us to help you at times in return.

Life gets so busy and too complicated and we want you to know that you are all important to us as individuals.
We love you and we want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  We wish you health, happiness and the good things in life.  We hope your Christmas is the best, and that you have one-on-one time with people you love today. 

We worship our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his love and gifts to us are the reason for the season.  This world is getting harder to cope with all the time, but with God and love in our lives, there is always a perfect brightness of hope that sustains us through all the rest of it.  Thank you all for being a part of the hope and joy we feel today!

We want to share something we thought was really special with you this Christmas in the link below. The holiday rush is just about over.  May we all keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts everyday.  The lights on the trees will soon go out, the decorations will be tucked away for another year, but the peace of having faith and hope and charity never goes out of season. Keep living, loving and serving each other. Also be kind to yourself. As President Uchtdorf admonished us, "Keep lifting {others} where you stand.  If we do these things we will have a great new year.  

With our love on this wonderful day, Bonnie & Jim

https://youtu.be/Mv8IBV857Rw