Hey!!  Sage here!  I hope this finds you well; as for me, I'm doing a lot better than I was last time I wrote (November 6, right after the shootings at Fort Hood).  While I am still bothered by what happened, I can pray for those families and pray they get through this holiday season somehow!

In the meantime, I am doing great right now!  I have a bunch of Christmas parties lined up, starting next week.  I also plan on going caroling with some kids and cheer up our neighbors with some Christmas music. 

Today after I got home from school I helped Uncle Fenton and Aunt Reba decorate the Christmas tree and put out the decorations.  Our place now looks invitingly festive.  All we have to do now is wait for company.

This is when I wish I had a little brother or sister; there's nothing more magical than to watch a little kid's face at Christmastime.  Instead, all I have are two adults who love me and of course, my pug dog, "Smedley".  (Got him last month as a Thanksgiving Day present.  He's sooo cute!!)

I just hope "Smedley" doesn't decide to use the Christmas tree as a toilet or shred the presents all to pieces; that would not be good AT all!!

I visited Amy's family last night; all I did was bawl my eyes out.  She died back in April when she was struck by a drunken driver (I saw the accident happen, right in front of my eyes), and I miss her as much now as I did when the accident first happened.  When she died, a part of me died too, right along with her; my life hasn't been the same since.  I can't imagine how they are going to get through the Christmas season:  they are still pretty broken up.

I am doing better at my counseling sessions, now that I got the worst of the problems I was facing out in the open.  I am learning to cope as problems crop up, and I am learning to put my faith/trust in God and depend on Him.  It's making a huge difference in my life.

I have been practicing hard at church.  Singing in our church's Cantata next week; I will be singing "O, Holy Night", just like I did last year.  I hope I do okay; I always get nervous whenever I have to sing in front of a bunch of people!  Glad I don't do that but maybe once a year!  (Okay, I was in "Heaven's Gates" back in August/September, but I didn't sing; I just had to act.  That's a whole different ballgame altogether!)

Well, some of my friends are here; guess we're going caroling!  I will write in here again soon; I hope to write in here before Chistmas comes in a few weeks!  I can't wait; I love this time of year!!  God bless and take care!  Love you tons!

~As always, Sage.  :)