Christmas day has come and gone and now we prepare for the new year. There are times when we get distracted by the focus on, how we will spend the eve. At these times we forget we are preparing for the coming year and all that it will hold. Perhaps, we should spend the eve contemplating how we spent the year we are leaving behind. 2006 was a big year in our household. I had an premonition of this as we gathered to decorate our tree in 2005. We celebrated a graduation, a confirmation, an engagment, a wedding, another engagment, a child moving overseas an empty nest (if you don't count pets they left behind) and the announcment that we will become Grandparents in 2007. I think you can say this adds up to a great year. We also had sickness, sorrow, andger and hurt, but I think in the end the joy has far outshone the tears. I hope that 2007 brings much joy and little sorrow to us all. I will mark the year with friends and family of all ages to toast to life and pray for the future. I will pray that I remeber to let joy win. My favorite quotes of the year was from St Augustine "God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering"