The Smith Family Newsletter

(This one's for you, Mist - the Star formerly known as M)

Have you ever received one of those annual family newsletters? You know the ones that tell how great everyone has done all year. They usually read something like this:

“Tom was promoted again this year. He now heads eight divisions. Just last month he resolved a production problem that saved the company one million dollars and has been awarded “Employee of the Century.” Sally received her PH.D. and is considering one of several offers from top hospitals in the area. Susie has had an outstanding year in 8th grade. Once again she is on the All A’s Dean’s List and has already been contacted by some very prestigious universities. She played the lead role in the school musical, Annie, and was captain of the girl’s basketball team when they won the State Championship. Rover has also been one busy little dog. After graduating at the top of his obedience class, he moved on to agility training. The trainer said he is one of the smartest dogs he has ever trained. Our summer excursion this year was to Europe. We visited Italy, France, and Ireland, ending our whirlwind tour in England. We had such a wonderful time and it was quite educational for Susie.”

We get several every Christmas. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with these newsletters. I enjoy reading them and catching up with my family and friends. I am very proud of the accomplishments of all my nieces, nephews, friends’ children and pets. I just wonder, does anyone ever have a bad year? Just once I would like to read about some of the “not so great” things that have happened in the past year.


Season Greetings,

We hope this finds you and your loved ones happy and well. We have been very busy this past year. Tom got out of the half-way house in October and is exploring several promising job offers. 7-11 has offered him the day shift with a one week vacation after the first year, so that is pretty exciting. Sally has had a productive year also. She received a promotion to Pool Typist, Level III. As soon as Tom is on the payroll at 7-11 she will be able to give up her waitress job at Denny’s. She is looking forward to spending more quality time at home. Susie is doing well at her new school. The guidance counselor said her four week suspension shouldn’t hurt her too much. With some hard work on Susie’s part and daily three-hour tutoring sessions she should catch up to her classmates in a year a two. The lunch room at her old school has been rebuilt and looks wonderful. Her former teacher should be off crutches very soon. Unfortunately our beloved Rover is not with us to celebrate this holiday season. The vet said he went peacefully. Our neighbor has decided not to sue which is great news. We were able to cover all his medical bills with the proceeds from the sale of Grandmother’s antique wedding ring, so we are very pleased with that. We did have to cancel our vacation to Olathe for the annual Sweet Corn Festival, but we always have next year.

Happy Holidays,
The Smith Family