Friendship is a lovely word,

On this we all agree.

But the word is not as lovely

As what you mean to me.

You gave my life new meaning

And made the gray skies blue,

And Christ who is our Helper

Has made our lives anew.

We learned the truth together

And gave our lives to God.

The way has not been easy

But together we have trod.

You bring out all my good thoughts

And the rest we both destroy,

You also helped me train aright

Our little girl and boy.

The kind of friend a wife needs

Through the years . . . is hard to be,

But thank you, Dear, for being

That kind of friend to me.

A little boy said, "Mommy,

Come read me a story or two;

And sit here beside me...

And teach me to tie my shoe."

But she said, "Son, I am already late

For the Single Parents' Club;

I really have to go and learn

How to take care of you."

He was too young to realize

There was no logic there

But a tear ran down his little cheek

'Cause he thought she didn't care.

"I will drop you off at the 'Center'

And the 'sitter' will read to you;

And maybe she will have the time

To teach you to tie your shoe."

The sad part of this story

Is not so hard to see;

When you multiply this little child...

By four million and thirty-three!

By Edna L. Ingram, with permission

Kolten on left Kaden on right

My sister-in-law painted this for us.

Last night we went shopping and we called our granddaughters to go eat with us. Our grandchildren are so much fun. We had a great time with them although we missed our grandson who is in college 3 and 1/2 hours away.

Our granddaughters live in a huge two story 'turn of the century' house with 3 other college girls. (The above picture is not the house, it is much larger than this one.) They all share the rent and utilities and the first year they lived there, they didn't use the central heat for a long time and they took quick showers and shivered all the while. They had to learn to economize early that year or two after they left home. They can tell you some really funny stories about themselves and the other girls.

The youngest will graduate in May and the oldest one should but she has decided to go on to medical school. They were both valedictorians of their high school graduating class and so was our grandson. He is the youngest of them. The youngest granddaughter just wants to graduate...I think she is heading for an M R S degree!

Our oldest granddaughter has a friend and college classmate who keeps her in stitches (laughing ones) and she was talking about having to write a paper for one of her classes about herself.

 Our granddaughter said, "Oh let me write it for you." Just kidding of course and she sat down and started writing. She was really putting her friend down in a kind of joking but 'real' way.

She wrote about being neurotic and an extrovert and in the 2nd paragraph she wrote, "I have been this way since I was little. I didn't have very many friends growing up. I had to tie bacon around my neck to get the dog to play with me." Her friend was so happy with the paper our granddaughter wrote, that she turned it in for her homework.

She made an A on the paper!!!!

Making Christmas Cookies and Having Fun!