Things have been pretty eventful since our idyllic weekend on the Eastern Shore in mid-November. Donna's dad has been having some health issues and her mom fell and broke her knee cap. My dad fell the week before Thanksgiving and is still recuperating from a broken vertebra just above his tailbone and a number of complications. It's true what they say about getting old--it's not for sissies. I started to write that the declining health of our parents has tempered our excitement this holiday season. And while on one level that is true, I think it has also intensified the already strong bonds we as a family share. Our parents' injuries and illnesses--and the unspeakable recent violence visited on innocent children and their teachers in Connecticut--are powerful reminders of the importance of cherishing family, and expressing our love for one another, at every opportunity. To you, we wish you a Christmas season filled with love, peace and joy that lasts through th