HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

With the holidays upon us, I reflect upon the last year and feel truly blessed to be a part of a family whose lineage and traditions find its heart and home in the mountains of North Carolina. Just as those majestic mountains still guard and protect the land of Greene, Etta, Grandpa Jimmy and Grandma Sally, so are we embraced by the love we share as a part of the Michael / Shook clan.

It's been quite a year for all of us....Thoughts of the reunion in July continuously brighten my days, and I can still see all of you clearly in my mind as I stood in front of the hearth at the Matney Community Center. What an amazing homecoming! How wonderful to meet people about whom I had heard stories all my life, and how special to see cousins I grew up with and hadn't seen for decades!! It's so true...there's nothing like family, and I'd place ours at the top of the list in terms of strength, love, and connection at the heart any day. We are truly, truly blessed.

As the year comes to a close, I pause to reflect upon the lives of Ruth and Hoyle, Tom and Ada, Grady and Myrtle, Larry, Zeb, Carroll, Michael Tanner, little Samuel Wilson and others who now look upon us from the world of spirit. I give thanks for our elders who are advancing in years and say a special prayer for those whose lives are impacted by health problems. And, I delight in the images in my mind of the children in our family who will continue our legacy. There is nothing stronger than the bond we share - we can always look to the Shooks and Michaels for the encourgement, strength or wisdom we may need at any moment.

The happiest of holidays to you all, AND don't forget to mark you calendars for July 4, 2011 for the next "gathering of the clan."

Infinite love,

Tanya