Merry Christmas from Joyce.

Christmas is a special time in our family.  It’s always busy with the various church services and getting the house ready for our family who will be here on Christmas day.   We are looking forward to the Christmas Eve service at our church and the worship service on Christmas Day.  After all worshipping our Savior is what this season is all about.

It’s a time of remembering past Christmases.  Missing our loved ones, especially our mothers, who have gone on to Heaven before us.  Remembering the good pies both our mothers baked and the chicken & noodles, homemade bread, fried pies, fudge and other goodies. My daughter-in-law does the baking now and I cook the dinner usually.  This year my two sons are cooking dinner. 

As our family gathers together at our home we will have dinner and then we’ll open presents.  First though, Jim will read the Christmas story from Luke 2.  We are blessed to have our whole family with us. 

2011 has been a good year for Hartline Literary Agency in spite of my surgery and recovery from a broken hip and broken arm.  Thanks to Diana & Terry, along with help from Bonnie on the web site, everything went along pretty normally. Diana moved to Ashville, NC and Kathy Myers is my new assistant here in the Pittsburgh Office. I’m thankful to my clients who stuck with me through all of this hospitalization and therapy.   God is so good. We added two new agents in 2011 and we will be adding a Children’s agent in 2012.  We will make a formal announcement on January 2, 2012.

 Last night at our Wednesday night service one of our pastors asked us to reflect on this past year.   What came to my mind was “God is Faithful.”  I have been so blessed this year by the body of Christ.   I have had so much help from Christian friends through this tough time. I can’t begin to thank everyone and the Lord enough for all the love and support I have had.  People brought food; friends came to our home and stayed with me while Jim made hospital calls and did other ministry duties. And of course I’m thankful for my wonderful husband. who has been there right by my side, helping me and taking care of me.  It has been awesome.

I pray that all of you who read our blog will have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.  I am sure that many have had trials and troubles in 2011. May God keep, bless and prosper you in the coming year.