For me, the holidays are always a time for reflecting on the things for which I am grateful, and my hopes for good things yet to come. At the center of both is family. While so many things change from generation to generation, celebrating the love of family, especially during the holiday season, is a timeless blessing.
This year I wanted to share with you a bit of 100 year-old holiday devotion from a very difficult and uncertain time in our past. This is a Christmas card my grandfather Winfred G. Knoch sent to his parents in 1917 from Camp Grant near Rockford, where he was training to go to Europe to fight in the Great War; and the New Year’s greeting his mother, father, brothers and sisters sent back to him.
Thankfully, after serving with distinction in France, he returned home to raise a family of his own here in Naperville.
Looking at these century-old cards in recent weeks served as a very timely reminder for me that in the midst of difficulty and uncertainty, there is always a reason to be thankful, and to be hopeful. This holiday season, I am thankful for my family’s many blessings, and my hope is that you and your family will enjoy time with loved ones and a happy and healthy 2018.
