Old friends go; new friends come: the life of a pilgrim on the Way

http://www.alanknox.net/2011/12/old-friends-go-new-friends-come/

http://jlawson23.com/2011/12/20/reflecting-on-three-years-in-organic-church-life/

What Should a 4 Year Old Know?

http://www.drmomma.org/2011/11/what-should-4-year-old-know.html  By Alicia Bayer

a small portion from the article:

So here, I offer my list of what a four year old should know:
She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn't feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights, and that his family will back them up.
She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy, and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats six legs.
He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he'll learn them accidentally, soon enough, and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she's wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it's just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that -- way more worthy.
But more importantly, here is what parents need to know:  http://www.drmomma.org/2011/11/what-should-4-year-old-know.html 

The best gifts come from the heart.

Deep down inside we know that the best gifts don't come from catalogs or shopping malls. They don't come in brightly-colored packages or fancy envelopes and they're not hiding in a closet for you to open on Christmas morning. The best gifts come from the heart. They come when we look at each other, REALLY look at each other and say: "You mean alot to me" or " I'm so glad your part of my life". A gift like that will never go out of style or be forgotten or be returned for a different size. A gift like that can make someone's day, change someone's life or even save a life.
~Ron Atchinson