Dear Blog Readers,

I am finally back to wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2015.  I am taking a moment to pause and remember all of our blessings this year.  Our year featured numerous exhibit rotations.  We have enjoyed "German-Americans in the Civil War," "The L&M Tool Exhibit," Kurt Mueller's "reVision" exhibit, and of course our 10th Annual Christmas Tree Exhibit.

We will have a new reading room ready to dedicate in late 2015.  We hope to have it nearly completed by Easter-time.  The Starzinger Family Research Library will be located in the Main Gallery area and the walls of the library will be made up of gorgeous glass display cases.  We will not be losing any of our exhibit space due to this unique design, and will free up exhibiting space in the First Church/Big School gallery.  More soon...

I had a nice Christmas miracle this week.  For many years, my friend--Janice Niederstadt--brought me a soft sculptured Nativity scene to borrow for my annual story reading sessions with regional school children.  Janet died this past spring and I tried to find and purchase the Nativity scene at her estate sale.  It was no where in sight.  Well, last week the Nativity scene came to me in a box from someone in Perryville.  It stilled smelled like Janice's perfume and her trace of tobacco.  It was an overwhelmingly beautiful moment for me.  I miss my dear friend so much, especially at Christmas, and to have her Nativity scene permanently is the perfect gift.  The day after it arrived here was my 10th annual reading of "To Be A Christmas Tree" to the Kindergartners (and other students through the years) of the United in Christ Lutheran School.  It told the children about my Christmas miracle and we celebrated by looking at each piece of this humble little artifact and the children told me the story of baby Jesus through the pieces in my beloved Janice's gift.

I hope that you too will have a Christmas miracle, or at least a chance to quietly sit by the fire, hear a choir sing, or listen to the joyous laughter of children.  I want to ask all of you to pray for our women and men who are deployed away from their families this season, serving their country.

Merry Christmas,

Carla Jordan