Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Holidays! If you're saying to yourself, "That doesn't look like a picture of the Fergusons on the front of the card," you're right. There was a bit of a mixup down at the photo store, but it was too late to have the cards done over. As you know, Bob and I only have two kids, not four, and none of us have ever been skiing. But other than that, it's not a bad picture!

And we got them for half price, which is good because we've had to watch our pennies ever since Bob got downsized. But we have to wonder -- who's sending out our pictures this holiday?

Sorry we haven't written sooner, but neither of us has been in much shape to write this year. I donated a kidney to my brother-in-law Joe, but he rejected it. It turns out he needed a liver. I always get those two mixed up. Liver, kidney, kidney, liver ... What's the big difference? We had a good laugh about it, and I'm happy to say that Joe died with a smile on his face. Sometimes laughter is the best medicine.

Josh and Amber both got into community college. Josh is majoring in Body Piercing and Amber is waffling between Nail Technician or Tattoo Art. As you know, there were times when I thought they'd never get out of high school. I kept telling them and telling them, "If you don't get good grades, you're not going to amount to anything." I'll bet they're glad I nagged them now! It doesn't look like they'll ever be out of work.

Bob's dad only has to wear the ankle restraint for another three months, and then he's off house arrest. He still swears he has no idea what happened to the church's money and that he's just the fall guy. He's already planning a nice long vacation in the Cayman Islands as soon as he gets off parole.

Bob's working at Big Pig BBQ until another employment opportunity turns up. The manager is pretty happy with his work; he says a lot of times, older people aren't quick enough to work in the fast food business. Funny, I never thought 46 was all that old. Yet even at his advanced age, he thinks Bob has a shot a becoming an afternoon grill manager.

It seems my job as a grief counselor was not recession-proof. After their first consultation with me, more and more people seemed to find the courage to face this difficult time alone. Even though most of them thanked me when they left my office, almost all of them said, "You've made me realize that it could be worse. Much, much worse." I guess I was doing my job too well. I'll miss it, because it's so rewarding to be able to help people.

Bob's mother is living with us now and it's like having an extra pair of helping hands every day. She's too frail to actually do anything, but she does motivate people. "Who taught you how to do dishes?" she might say helpfully, or "You call that a pie crust?" The kids just love her. If she forgets to say, "Are you going out looking like that?" when they leave the house, they feel neglected. Everyone loves her; she's such a people person.

We don't hang stockings over the fireplace anymore since the accident last year. Who knew a sock could burn like that? Not Fluffy, that's for sure. Most of her fur has grown back, but she still won't sleep on the mantel like she used to.

That's about it for us, but here's wishing you a happy holiday this year.

Your friends,

The Fergusons