Today I finished all my Christmas cards.  I know we make fun of the letters that people include in their Christmas cards – the bragging or the glossy way people talk about their lives – but I like those annual letters that catch me up on the lives of people I care about.  Still, it is a chore to get it done and it takes Christmas movies playing on the television to motivate me to finish.

This year I sent out a lot more cards than usual because there are a lot of people I am not seeing as often as I did.  I sent a lot of cards to people from the church where I retired:  people that have sent me e-mails or called or read my blog and commented.  I know that these are people who care about me because they are working on keeping in touch.  The blog is a great way for all of you to find out what I am doing – you are all caught up on my life – but unless you respond back in some way, I’m not sure what is going on in yours!

Last year I pared down my Christmas list by using this question:  if I had plenty of time and Tom and I were in the area this person lives, would I want to go see them?  If the answer was yes, they stayed on the list.  If it was no, then they came off the list.  If I don’t care about seeing them again, then there is no point in sending them a card, no matter how many years we have done it.  This year I sent cards to a lot of people – we will see who stays on the list and who takes themselves off!

But I have one more Christmas card I want to write – one to all of you who read the blog.  I have been writing it for six months now, trying to post five days a week, and many of you have been reading faithfully.  I appreciate it when you contact me to let me know what you enjoy or what makes you think.  My e-mail is the same as always:  hartleyfam@aol.com if you want to send me a less public comment.

So you have been a blessing to me by giving me a way to share my life and making me think that you care about what I am doing even if we can’t see each other all the time.  Thank you for that.  Your caring has made the transition to retirement easier for me.

As you prepare for Christmas, may God bless you and touch your life with wonder.  May you see the miracles that surround you every day.  May you be thankful for the blessings God showers on you.  May we continue to hold each other in our hearts.