Merry Christmas!

Gretchen and I appreciate your continuing support for this weblog and for cheering us on during our new house project.

We may not be living in this house yet, but we celebrate the Christmas Season with a wreath that promises a new future and many Christmases to come. We hope that most of you are enjoying the companionship of friends and loved ones.

For those who are protecting us in far places, we offer thanks that you have the courage to handle the hard tasks and terrible sacrifices that are required to purchase freedom.  We hope that you know that your efforts are deeply appreciated by all who value liberty and justice. You are the people who are actually making a difference. We wish you all a safe return.

I am thankful for all of the friends who have helped make this weblog what it is today. Your advice and support have helped Ripples evolve from a personal journal to a continuing series of essays focused on improving the quality of life and developing meaningful work.

Your support has encouraged me to continue publishing books and to develop ways to encourage others to find the life and work that they deserve.

We are entering a new phase of our lives with this move to Floyd. We look forward to becoming active members of this community and I plan to write about the cultural and social trends that continue to shape this unique region. It promises to be most interesting.

We have been warmly received by this community and hope to be able to return the flow by contributing in like measure.

This scene in the Cafe del Sol is typical of the enthusiastic welcome we have encountered ever since we arrived. Santa’s helper, Ann Bower, is asking Gretchen if she has been good this year.

I would definitely say so. Very good, indeed!  🙂

Our Christmas greetings would not be complete without thanking Doug and Amy Thompson for taking us in and providing a Christmas haven for us and our cats. They have given us shelter and a measure of friendship that we will never forget. Thanks to them, we are enjoying our happiest Christmas ever at a time that would otherwise have been extraordinarily difficult.