Can U keep a secret?

It might have been a former carpool buddy who introduced the idea of giving a train set to a little girl... and the idea stuck. But before we go down the road on why girls shouldn't get boy toys, let's talk about giving for a moment.

I will be the first [always] to need more work in this area of our lives. Giving is hard, not because we don't want to give, it's usually the case that we're afraid to give. Giving means you have to accept thanks from the recipient, you have to believe [even a tiny bit] that the person deserved to receive something from you. Giving is like the last frontier for a society [USA] full of individual emphasis, built on the backs of societies which understood the giving to them from all of creation.

This year we started to burn more fires in the fireplace, as a way to save a few pennies due to less than cheap oil prices. In a perfect demonstration of partnership, Deborah unloaded a half cord of wood into our meager little wood shed, during a rain storm, in the dark while I sat inside nursing a cold. It's that giving thing. Sometimes I forget to wrap my gifts, but they're always sincere - or I just don't give [kind of learned that from Chula].

So what do we all want to give this year, as part of a season full of generous spirit? My list is short but hopeful:

• Constant trust and devotion amongst the greater family; where we communicate openly, respectfully and frequently for the greater good of each generation
• Always serve the best interests of our children and our elders, our family is blessed with a rich mix of both
• Build a prosperous future we can all be grateful for; sharing as a community in a public expression of love - no games or secrets, there's enough to go around

Now back to that train set.