Good Evening Dear Friends,

It was good to see all my students again after Thanksgiving break.  They are all such "good eggs."  I feel so fortunate that I get to spend my days with them.  I was paid the sweetest compliment, today.  I greeted each student as they came into the classroom this morning and told them that I missed them.  One young man said, Mrs. Keane you are beautiful.  OH MY GOODNESS.  He is so cute.  Our students do not edit or have filters.  They just say whatever is on their minds.  Sometimes it is good, some times not so good and sometimes, it is a BLUE MOMENT.  Thank you DK for my Blue Moment today.

Our Friday evening with the Lynch's was fun.  Tim is hilarious and the four of us laughed so much as we walked the main street in Newtown, dined at Jake's and walked around and reminisced in Feeney's.  We decided to include the Lynch's next year for Thanksgiving and then spend Black Friday evening with them, enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas.  Actually, Tim and I challenged Jim and Anita to plan our next adventure.  We shall see if they can top our Black Friday evening.  I am filled with anticipation over this challenge.  I love surprises.

Tomorrow we were taking our students to Rice's Market, but due to the impending inclement weather, we changed our plans to Happy Tymes.  We will go bowling instead.  Tomorrow will just be too cold and snowy to walk around Rice's Market.  This is the second time we had to reschedule this trip.  Once last year and now tomorrow.  We have never taken our student's to Rice's Market.  It is an acceptable place were they can go and tender the best amount, applying the money skills learned in the classroom to an authentic, experiential learning environment.  All other business establishments in our area, are not cost effective.

I received an email today with the following message attached:

What you dwell on is what you will draw into your life.  We can either focus on our problems, or we can focus on our blessings.  The question is do you want more problems, or do you want more blessings?  One thing I've noticed is that when you live with an attitude of constant gratitude, not only do you thank God for what He's done in your life, you start thanking Him for what He will do in your life.  You thank Him for opening doors for you in the future.  You thank Him for increasing you.  You thank Him for bringing the right people into your life.  When we say, "Thank You" to God for the things that are coming, it's really a declaration of our faith in Him.  It's like saying in essence, "God, I'm so sure of Your goodness, I'm so sure that You are working in my life that I'm going to thank you right now for what You are going to do tomorrow!"     Now that  is the kind of faith that pleases God.  

And so, my wish for you this evening, is that you say a prayer of thanks for all your blessings, and that you thank God in advance for all the blessings that will be bestowed upon you.

En` Joy,

Marialyce