Merry Christmas To My Sweet Blog Friends :)

It's a lovely, peaceful evening here in my house:

the movie "The Ultimate Gift" on tv after returning

from a nice long ride to look at Christmas lights

all topping off a generally perfect Christmas day.

It's hard to believe that once again, this special time of year is now

pretty much passed and we're perched on the edge of 2012!

This month as been SO busy -- not only with the store and

orders for magazines and shop items, but in the personal realm,

my sweet daughter, Olivia, graduated last weekend (12-17)

from college.

I seem to remember that not that long ago I posted about her 

FIRST day at college.  So I ask you, WHERE has the time gone??

Well, in all fairness she did move at a pretty accelerated rate and

graduated early, but still...  :)

This is the girl who spent 6 weeks this past summer on her own

in Israel working with an organization that reaches out to Palestinians.

She traveled several times into the West Bank/Gaza Strip delivering 

food relief aid packages to needy Palestinian families.

This is the same girl who only AFTER she was safely back at home

let me in on the fact that the church-owned guest house she stayed in

had just been re-opened after extensive repairs due to arson at the hands

of some extremists in the area.

She knew about this before she left, but chose not to share this

nugget of info with me -- it didn't change her mind and she figured

no point worrying me... Oh my...

She absolutely fell in love with Israel -- I think she left a part of

her heart there...

(Olivia, in the library of the guest house)

I believe, if given the chance, she might well have 

stayed there and asked for her things to be shipped to her.

Israel was a perfect fit for her -- the foods,

the surroundings, the "feel".

(Sitting at the Sea of Galilee)

So now, she has her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts 

(concentrated in painting) and for the next 1/2 year she'll

take a breather until she heads off to pursue a Masters Degree in

Intercultural Studies.

I'll be trying to soak in and savor every single minute with her until 

she leaves next year... *SIGH*

If you've followed my blog for a while, you have to know that she and I are

linked -- tightly linked.  I'm so happy for her -- so proud of her... but when she

takes off next year... a HUGE piece of me goes with her.  Ouch.  

But it's a "good" ouch.  If that's possible.  :)

Well, I digress...  This is a post to say 

Merry Christmas to you all and to thank you,

from the bottom of my heart,

for sticking with me this past crazy-busy year!! 

We've grown quite a bit this year, and I'm thinking up 

some fun new changes for the new year for the store.

All in all, life is wonderful and I am blessed.

How about you?  :)

All is calm, all is bright...

Merry Christmas to all

and to all

a good night.

Love,