Best Wishes for the New Year

I would just like to wish all the readers of my blog a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year for 2011. It has certainly been a year of mixed emotions and blessings. My graduation from Penn State in the spring, my seasonal employment at Gettysburg National Military Park, and my entrance into grad school at West Virginia University were very joyous and celebratory milestones in my personal and professional life. At the same moment, however, there was also great heartache in the illness and passing of my grandmother and a number of other relatives over a short span of time. Amidst these ups and downs of life, I have again learned to take the good with the bad and make the most of what I have.

Upon my return home from my first semester at WVU, I was pleased to discover that my mother and brother decorated a tree just for me - a Gettysburg/ Civil War Christmas tree ornate with soldiers, cannon, wagons, gear, Americana, and mementos from my summer at the park. It was a pleasant surprise indeed. As we approach the new year, I would like to thank all of you who take the time to read and comment on this blog. Having so many friends and acquaintances with a shared interest in the past is certainly a gift to treasure. Happy Holidays!

Jared