Notes on Gratitude

Merry Christmas everyone.

This isn't the best picture ever, but here's a shot of the three of us–my little family–taken on Monday at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA. This is in front of a giant Christmas tree in France. After we left France, we headed to the North Pole. The weather was warm for this time of year and we had a great time. Olivia and I rode a few rides and shopped, and we all saw a show. We watched a fella make a candle and then bought it because it was so pretty. When the sun went down, we gushed over 8 million lights. Tom overheard someone say the park hit maximum capacity which means we were there with about 72,000 of our closest friends! It was a wee bit crowded, but everyone was mostly in good cheer.

Today it's pouring rain so I don't think we'll be able to visit with our colonial brothers and sisters. Good thing we got some time in at Colonial Williamsburg yesterday. That time even included, at the end of the day, listening to my daughter's gorgeous voice sing out a Christmas carol from the steps of the Courthouse in front of a crowd of at least 200 people. She chose "Silent Night" and it was a beautiful moment.

Just a note here to wish all of you a joyous Christmas. There are so many things I have to be grateful for in this life and I count each one of you among them. Thank you for your participation here in ways both large and small. We're on this journey together and every single one of you is special to me.

Thank you. Merry Christmas.