According to details in this article from CBC Canada Royal Air Force glider pilot veteran Gordon Patrick was buried at the Green Acres Cemetery outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, following his death in 1973.  For whatever reason, probably at least partially because he was estranged from his daughter, Elizabeth Patrick, who lived in Great Britain, no monument or marker was ever erected.

It appears that all was fine until Gordon Patrick’s grandson, Patrick Moulden, a clearance diver with the Royal Canadian Navy died in 2022. Moulden was buried at the Field of Honor in Woodland Cemetery in Burlington, Ontario.

Then in May of this year Elizabeth Patrick had decided to have her father disintered and moved to the same cemetery where her son now lays in rest.  According to the CBC Canada article, here’s what happened at that time”

“In May, wanting to have her father’s remains relocated to a cemetery in Ontario where her son is buried, Patrick — who lives in England — had the grave excavated. That’s when it was found to be empty.”

Since the elder Patrick’s burial in 1973 the cemetery ownership has passed through the Loewen Group, Alderwoods, and is now owned by Service Corporation International (SCI).  Again, according to the article, Elizabeth Patrick states that “she initially had a positive and reciprocal relationship with Service Corporation International leading up to the excavation, and the company even agreed to waive its estimated $9,000 cost.  But she says communication with SCI, which owns Green Acres, has slowed since early June, after the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)  forensics unit carried out the first of two ground-penetrating radar searches in an effort to find any trace of her father.”

The article states that Ms. Patrick is now hearing from SCI’s legal counsel.  The article mentions that SCI’s e-mailed stance is “to say the company isn’t liable for the missing body, because he was buried before it took ownership of the cemetery. . . . . Given “the changes in ownership and organizational history of the prior owners,” the company believes “that Green Acres holds no liability.” 

Troy Harwood-Jones, a lawyer with PKF Lawyers is quoted in the article saying that “. . .the Manitoba Cemeteries Act could also make SCI liable. . . . The cemetery company will not be able to show that it’s met the requirements of the act by failing to keep proper records.”

Related — Here is a CBC News broadcast of the situation

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  This will be one case that is interesting to follow.  I don’t make the laws and holding SCI liable for something that happened at the cemetery 30 years prior to their ownership is pretty onerous, in my opinion.  On the other hand, if they agreed to buy the cemetery and take on all “rights and responsibilities” of previous ownership, this looks like a responsibility of previous ownership.

How could this situation happen?  Where are the remains of the elder Mr. Patrick?  One possible situation and my best guess is that it is a case of “transposed or incorrect numbers” placed on the decedent’s records at the cemetery.  Back in 1973 — before computers — many of the deceased in cemeteries had their records kept on index file cards with the information.  It could be something as simple as marking “Section 415” down as “Section 514” on an index card.  But I’m guessing that if they have had the Royal Mounted Police looking into this, those simple solutions have been looked at.

My guess is that Mr. Gordon Patrick is buried within the confines of the Green Acres Cemetery, it’s just that nobody knows where.

This case will be interesting to follow and we hope to keep our readers up to date on what happens.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Dogs With Jobs: Sniffing Out the Missing Dead

What would people do without dogs? They’re casual companions and emotional supporters; dogs fight beside us in battle, catch drug traffickers, backup law enforcement and border patrol, and help emergency responders locate survivors in natural disasters. 

Our dogs hunt up wandering Alzheimer’s patients, lost hikers, and straying toddlers. They serve as live-in health care workers, leading the blind, warning epileptics or heart patients of imminent seizures/arrhythmias, and delivering life-saving supplies like medications, water bottles, blankets, and telephones. 

Their support doesn’t even stop with the human heartbeat. Dogs also find our missing dead.

Elite sense of smell

Canines on the whole possess hundreds of millions of specialized scent receptors versus the paltry couple million humans have. Almost half of some dogs’ brains (an estimated 40%) are dedicated to the sense of smell, though talent varies dog to dog. 

Even upon such an impressive field, a coterie of sublime sniffers manages to outshine even their spectacularly olfactory cousins, with some species — bloodhounds, for example —possessing up to twice as many dedicated odor-detection cells as others, making them particularly suited for highly specialized, sensitive work. 

Among the rockstars of the working dog world are cadaver dogs, or Human Remains Detection Dogs (HRDD’s). Uniquely skilled forensic professionals, HRDD’s begin training at about 1.5-2 years of age in the business of tracking only decomposing human remains.  

Four-legged specialists 

The process of detection of human remains is quite different from dogs trained to locate living people or for other types of tracking, with a complex specialized lexicon of compounds. These dogs trained specifically and rigorously in accredited facilities for 18-24 months, learning to track molecular traces of decomposing human tissues only, ignoring decomposing animals. 

HRDD’s partner with certified instructors who, along with the dogs, must regularly recertify their credentials. Among canine forensic pros, several breeds with superior-tier native capability and requisite temperament are clear naturals in the field: Malinois, German Shepherds, Border Collies, Retrievers and Labradors are among the most capable — and trainable — species for the job. Because body searches can be long, drawn-out affairs, HRDD’s need the temperament to tolerate hours, days, or even weeks on the hunt, potentially without ever achieving their tracking goal, and they must endure it while remaining responsive to handlers.

The many scents of death 

Some 800 chemical compounds may emit from decomposing organic matter; a number of these are volatile organic compounds — VOCs — unique to humans. Such human-specific VOCs are “imprinted upon” the dogs during training using actual human remains including bones, hair, teeth and other tissues. Where authentic remains cannot be used, less effective synthetic compounds mimicking the odors of human decomposition may be substituted; the real thing, obviously, is more effective.

HRDD’s have been invaluable in many circumstances, contributing significantly to many homicide investigations. Yet trainers acknowledge that for all their formidable sniffing skill, HRDD’s aren’t perfect. Law enforcement relies on more evidence than that which can be uncovered at the ends of their noses. 

Depending on which training VOC’s are used, human remains detection dogs locate bodies along an astonishingly long mortal spectrum, from those dead for hours up to thousands of years : in 2013, the remains of a woman murdered by her husband then put through a wood chipper were located by a dog who sniffed out a scrap of her fingernail. Another victim was uncovered in her own yard, buried four feet down beneath a layer of lime and a concrete patio. Ancient skeletal remains have also been located in archaeological sites.

Man’s best friend, indeed… and possibly even a very special sort of death care worker.

Moms Searching for Missing Loved Ones Uncover Clandestine Cartel Crematorium in Mexico

If anyone needed proof that Mexican organized crime is just as brutally gruesome as it’s portrayed in the movies, the recently discovered clandestine crematorium in Jalisco should make them a believer. Authorities have credited the crematorium to the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The discovery, which included approximately 200 pairs of shoes, clothing, charred human remains, and personal belongings, sheds light on the cartels’ increasingly methodical DIY disposition of victims.

The site was unearthed on the Izaguirre ranch in La Estanzuela, within the municipality of Teuchitlán, by the Warrior Searchers of Jalisco—a group composed of relatives of missing persons. Acting on an anonymous tip, they found evidence of a makeshift crematorium, including three ovens containing charred remains, personal items such as diaries and jewelry, and bullet casings. Notably, the heartbreaking discovery of 200 pairs of shoes has drawn significant attention, symbolizing the scale of the tragedy and the number of lives potentially lost at this site. 

This grim finding is part of a broader pattern observed across Mexico, where drug cartels have established numerous clandestine sites to dispose of bodies. These extermination sites often serve dual purposes, functioning as training centers for cartel members and as facilities to eliminate evidence of their crimes. The CJNG, in particular, has been implicated in operating such sites, reflecting their brutal methods to maintain control and instill fear. 

The recent discovery in Jalisco is not an isolated incident. Similar sites have been found in other regions, such as Baja California, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila. For instance, in the border state of Chihuahua, investigators uncovered 12 bodies in clandestine graves, underscoring the pervasive use of hidden burial sites by cartels to dispose of victims.

Perhaps one of the most devastating aspects of these discoveries are the personal items that are left behind at these sites. In addition to shoes, items such as children’s notebooks and identification cards are particularly poignant. These things not only serve as potential evidence for investigators but can also provide a semblance of closure for families searching for their missing loved ones. 

It’s not surprising, unfortunately, that families have united to search for their missing loved ones. Official records indicate that over 120,000 people in the region are currently listed as disappeared, a number that is likely an undercount due to underreporting and the deeply hidden nature of these crimes. In Jalisco alone, nearly 15,000 individuals are reported as missing. And according to the Associated Press, Mexican authorities aren’t pursuing these crimes as one might expect they should. The Jalisco site, for example, had been secured by law enforcement several months ago, but the investigation stalled after the initial arrests and the discovery of one body.

The international community has also taken note of the escalating violence and the cartels’ evolving tactics, with President Donald Trump not surprisingly being one of the most outspoken. In January, Trump signed an executive order that designated cartels as terrorist organizations. The order specifically called out two groups that have been operating in the United States, Aragua Train and MS-13.

Historically, Mexican drug cartels have employed various gruesome methods for body disposal. One notorious technique, known as “El Guiso” or “The Stew,” involves placing live victims into 55-gallon drums filled with flammable substances and setting them alight. This method not only ensures the complete destruction of the body but also serves as a terror tactic to dissuade opposition. Additionally, cartels have been known to dissolve bodies in chemicals, a practice that gained notoriety in the late 1990s when a member of the Tijuana cartel admitted to disposing of dozens of bodies in this manner. In comparison, cremation seems a much more civilized alternative, if anything about this horrible situation can be deemed civilized.

For many people, including myself this year, Thanksgiving is happening without the presence of my maternal grandmother, and it has given me an opportunity, in the past few weeks since her passing, to actually reflect on something that I have not thought of in a long time—the passing of the torch to the next generation.

That’s a phrase we use often—“Passing the torch” and we use it to convey a tradition, a ritual, and a ceremony whereby “the old order gives way, giving rise to the new” as it does when every life takes on a new dimension.

Why is it we can be fully adult in the ages on our driver’s licenses, but when the family matriarch passes away, our minds race back to times when we were either in preschool or elementary school, at the “little kids table,” observing the hustle and bustle of the grownups all around us, rushing to bring in things from the oven and gather everyone for a prayer and the chance to enjoy the labors of love that came together for our Thanksgiving meal.

It never once has born any resemblance to the type of Thanksgiving our nation’s earliest settlers once celebrated, but the thought of thanks is the same, throughout the generations. As long as there has been life, there are always levels of ability to do, to be, to help, and to show the way to the ones coming up behind us. For most of our generations, we have tended to rely on the matriarchs of the family as the “glue that holds the family together.” Traditionally, this means that she is the one who is expected to host the family gathering each year and everyone then plans to arrive at her place and either bring their families, and a signature casserole dish or two, or all of the above.

The meaning of family also extends to signature dishes from our specific family members. Over the years, the family gatherings count on various relatives preparing a dish or two where they really shine and stand out. Meals are Southern ways of sharing and showing love to your family and you plan these events weeks if not months in advance. Shopping is rarely last minute as you know there are many folks counting on having at least one or two bites of their favorite dish from you.

The matriarch is the chief coordinator for all this, however, and when she is no longer among us, there is a vast chasm, not a hole, in our hearts because she was the one person whose responsibility it was to bring everyone together. Without her presence, each one of us can come up with one good reason or another why we can be somewhere else this year, not together with our entire family.

That’s what it seems like, I think. When the matriarch is gone, there’s no heir apparent to step into her shoes. If she has one or more daughters, there’s no reason to assume that they can fill that role automatically because the matriarch has held that spot for decades, most likely. It’s like the span of time and process that King Charles took in ascending the throne after his mother’s passing. You just don’t step up to preside. Too many feelings at stake.

The family staying together, though, is a critical formula for preserving generational traditions and history of the family as stories are shared, and retold year after year until the younger generations start paying close attention and retaining the stories that they will ultimately grow to tell their children and grandchildren.

Rarely does a family homestead property, most frequently the gathering site for holidays, remain available and vacant for future generations. If the house is too big to be the home of a surviving spouse with no one else, it is typically sold and the remaining senior moves to a more realistic size property where they don’t have to apply such intense care and maintenance. Understandable.

But what happens to the traditions? You do have options to preserve them. If you still have your matriarchs among you, grab your phone or your video camera and commit those reflections and important stories to video. Generations to come will be forever grateful to you for doing that. Write down what your loved ones tell you. If history is recorded in a family Bible, make sure you have photocopies made and preserved in a safe location so that you always have backup in case of fire or accident.

Next, there is rarely one person anymore who can step in or step up when the generational family matriarch is gone. There does exist an opportunity, though, for people to help tell her story. Sitting around the dining table before dinner, or in the living room and den relaxing is a good time to tell stories about her. Mostly they are stories of patience, as it takes a while for new members of the family, especially those among us from Southern families, to understand the composition of families.

The matriarch is the lynchpin that connects everyone together. She may be the only member of the family to have everyone’s phone numbers. Likely she has memorized them, or they are in her telephone record book. (Quick: do you know where she keeps hers?) Next, she has likely not written down who in the family brings what each year to a family gathering. She knows it in her head and does not need o have it committed to paper. That’s a factor that has to change when she passes away.

You can think back to last year’s gathering. Who brought what? Who bought what? Who made what and contributed it? For the youngsters, it’s always a great chance for them to hang out in the family kitchen as a typical matriarch will have the patience to encourage them to start their baking careers on something easy at first. As time passes, and with extensive practice, good cooks become great cooks. However, one secret is the ingredient of togetherness. When family and extended family come together, THAT is the magic ingredient that no one expects will make the difference between a good meal and a grand meal and celebration time.

Yes, this time, the shoes are empty, but the memories are plentiful. One person does not have to step up immediately and even try to pretend that they can take the place of, fill the shoes of, or even want to try to accept the responsibility of the person who coordinates bringing everyone together.

The passing years always present opportunities for families to “scatter to the four winds” once the matriarch has concluded her time on earth. It can be a solid thing for new generations to build new family traditions of their own. Other situations in other families may well have some toxic guests and family members who can singlehandedly ruin any and all family gatherings.

Those situations unfortunately are just as real as the Hallmark kind of holiday we love to watch on television. Be aware, too, that these exist. When you have friends who are widowed or unmarried, through death or divorce, there are many people considered “stragglers” who love being invited to your family’s gathering because they can experience the intergenerational fun and hear the laughter of people enjoying low-key fun and good times together.

It is never money, the size of the house, the array of foods on a table, or anything else that can be measured in volume that defines the love that the matriarch brings to her family. It’s the time in caring and sharing herself with each one in the family that lets them know they are loved, values, necessary, and instrumental to the family. We all have the power and ability to do that for our family members.

However many are gathered together this Thanksgiving, even if you are separated from many of those you miss with all your hearts, even the family matriarch, please remember the very best times of days gone by and do whatever you can to recreate that joy for those around you in the “here and now.” We only have today, this day, to celebrate. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. So, in the name of all that is holy, may God bless each of you this Thanksgiving season and may your hearts be healed when your matriarch is missing from around the family table this year.

Cody D. Jones ‘02

Owner & Community Member

Every year at this time, there comes a point at which we stop our hustling and bustling to do everything on our lists of things to do in preparing for family and guests to join us for the holidays. It may be only a brief stop as we realize that we forgot to get a gift for Aunt Emma, who never fails to bring gifts for all of us. Or, we might have left the grocery store with nine bags of ingredients for Christmas dinner, but we forgot the eggnog. Something has to give. Is it just me or do you find yourself thinking back to when times “seemed” simpler and easier to navigate?

Yet, was it really that simple a time, or were we simply more satisfied with how we were accomplishing everything on our list? It seems that the families who begin decorating their homes for the holidays right after Turkey dinner is over are the happiest about seeing Christmas arrive. They embrace their “inner Christmas” spirit, and out comes the outdoor lights and because there is typically good weather, it’s perfect to climb around on the roof and connect all the bulbs from last year. One of my favorite commercials this year is a family home decorated with outdoor lights that take the word “Extreme” to a new level. The house right next to it has one simple word blazing in stand-up lights: “Ditto.” Poignant.

What are we trying to say to ourselves and to our families by the traditions we make? Do we string the Christmas cards we get across the mantle or place them atop the mantle to keep track of who has communicated with us? Even though greeting cards are being sent more often these days, there’s something special about holding a card we’d rescued from the mail stack of boring bills to bring a smile and a promise to renew our hearts and mind about the reason for the season of giving and glorious and unconditional love. How many stockings hang in our home this year?

In the Bryan-College Station area, we have seven counties that our outreach impacts each year at this time. The Salvation Army has its annual angel tree. This year, all of the angels in need (student and Salvation Army families alike) have the opportunity to grow up and believe In the kindness of the people where they live. Countless bikes, toys, jackets and other wearing apparel that these children not only need, but want, are gathered and assembled by volunteers. This means something special to us as we shop for the children whose names we pulled. Let’s face it, when we know that what we do matters, that we can help others in need really makes a difference, it’s a great feeling. Our volunteering matters.

Are you missing a loved one for the first time this Christmas? Some families like to represent the missing family member with an empty chair in the place where they always used to sit. There’s a significance in the absence of that person. Other people have a tradition where they invite someone who is all alone at the holidays to sit in the “missing you” chair. It fills two opportunities to make someone alone feel less lonely and to fill the empty space at the table.

Every passing of a patriarch or matriarch of a family is unique. No one can tell you what is right for you except yourself. The traditions you set and continue each year are those that your children will always remember as being yours, and then they will make that a part of their traditions as they get their own homes.

If your banquet table is full, if your kitchen is overflowing, and if you find your home the busiest time of year ever, then your holiday is truly blessed. Be sure to take photos to keep for years from now to remember when all this generation’s children are grown and return with children of their own. And if your table is missing a loved one or two this year, reach back for those photo albums and slowly go through the pages. Close your eyes and open your heart to the days when all your loved ones were around you and feel the love that never dies. It transcends generations before and will last all the way through your generations to come. God bless you at Christmas, and every day in the coming year.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Cody D. Jones ‘02

Owner & Community Member

For many people, including myself this year, Thanksgiving is happening without the presence of my maternal grandmother, and it has given me an opportunity, in the past few weeks since her passing, to actually reflect on something that I have not thought of in a long time—the passing of the torch to the next generation.

That’s a phrase we use often—“Passing the torch” and we use it to convey a tradition, a ritual, and a ceremony whereby “the old order gives way, giving rise to the new” as it does when every life takes on a new dimension.

Why is it we can be fully adult in the ages on our driver’s licenses, but when the family matriarch passes away, our minds race back to times when we were either in preschool or elementary school, at the “little kids table,” observing the hustle and bustle of the grownups all around us, rushing to bring in things from the oven and gather everyone for a prayer and the chance to enjoy the labors of love that came together for our Thanksgiving meal.

It never once has born any resemblance to the type of Thanksgiving our nation’s earliest settlers once celebrated, but the thought of thanks is the same, throughout the generations. As long as there has been life, there are always levels of ability to do, to be, to help, and to show the way to the ones coming up behind us. For most of our generations, we have tended to rely on the matriarchs of the family as the “glue that holds the family together.” Traditionally, this means that she is the one who is expected to host the family gathering each year and everyone then plans to arrive at her place and either bring their families, and a signature casserole dish or two, or all of the above.

The meaning of family also extends to signature dishes from our specific family members. Over the years, the family gatherings count on various relatives preparing a dish or two where they really shine and stand out. Meals are Southern ways of sharing and showing love to your family and you plan these events weeks if not months in advance. Shopping is rarely last minute as you know there are many folks counting on having at least one or two bites of their favorite dish from you.

The matriarch is the chief coordinator for all this, however, and when she is no longer among us, there is a vast chasm, not a hole, in our hearts because she was the one person whose responsibility it was to bring everyone together. Without her presence, each one of us can come up with one good reason or another why we can be somewhere else this year, not together with our entire family.

That’s what it seems like, I think. When the matriarch is gone, there’s no heir apparent to step into her shoes. If she has one or more daughters, there’s no reason to assume that they can fill that role automatically because the matriarch has held that spot for decades, most likely. It’s like the span of time and process that King Charles took in ascending the throne after his mother’s passing. You just don’t step up to preside. Too many feelings at stake.

The family staying together, though, is a critical formula for preserving generational traditions and history of the family as stories are shared, and retold year after year until the younger generations start paying close attention and retaining the stories that they will ultimately grow to tell their children and grandchildren.

Rarely does a family homestead property, most frequently the gathering site for holidays, remain available and vacant for future generations. If the house is too big to be the home of a surviving spouse with no one else, it is typically sold and the remaining senior moves to a more realistic size property where they don’t have to apply such intense care and maintenance. Understandable.

But what happens to the traditions? You do have options to preserve them. If you still have your matriarchs among you, grab your phone or your video camera and commit those reflections and important stories to video. Generations to come will be forever grateful to you for doing that. Write down what your loved ones tell you. If history is recorded in a family Bible, make sure you have photocopies made and preserved in a safe location so that you always have backup in case of fire or accident.

Next, there is rarely one person anymore who can step in or step up when the generational family matriarch is gone. There does exist an opportunity, though, for people to help tell her story. Sitting around the dining table before dinner, or in the living room and den relaxing is a good time to tell stories about her. Mostly they are stories of patience, as it takes a while for new members of the family, especially those among us from Southern families, to understand the composition of families.

The matriarch is the lynchpin that connects everyone together. She may be the only member of the family to have everyone’s phone numbers. Likely she has memorized them, or they are in her telephone record book. (Quick: do you know where she keeps hers?) Next, she has likely not written down who in the family brings what each year to a family gathering. She knows it in her head and does not need o have it committed to paper. That’s a factor that has to change when she passes away.

You can think back to last year’s gathering. Who brought what? Who bought what? Who made what and contributed it? For the youngsters, it’s always a great chance for them to hang out in the family kitchen as a typical matriarch will have the patience to encourage them to start their baking careers on something easy at first. As time passes, and with extensive practice, good cooks become great cooks. However, one secret is the ingredient of togetherness. When family and extended family come together, THAT is the magic ingredient that no one expects will make the difference between a good meal and a grand meal and celebration time.

Yes, this time, the shoes are empty, but the memories are plentiful. One person does not have to step up immediately and even try to pretend that they can take the place of, fill the shoes of, or even want to try to accept the responsibility of the person who coordinates bringing everyone together.

The passing years always present opportunities for families to “scatter to the four winds” once the matriarch has concluded her time on earth. It can be a solid thing for new generations to build new family traditions of their own. Other situations in other families may well have some toxic guests and family members who can singlehandedly ruin any and all family gatherings.

Those situations unfortunately are just as real as the Hallmark kind of holiday we love to watch on television. Be aware, too, that these exist. When you have friends who are widowed or unmarried, through death or divorce, there are many people considered “stragglers” who love being invited to your family’s gathering because they can experience the intergenerational fun and hear the laughter of people enjoying low-key fun and good times together.

It is never money, the size of the house, the array of foods on a table, or anything else that can be measured in volume that defines the love that the matriarch brings to her family. It’s the time in caring and sharing herself with each one in the family that lets them know they are loved, values, necessary, and instrumental to the family. We all have the power and ability to do that for our family members.

However many are gathered together this Thanksgiving, even if you are separated from many of those you miss with all your hearts, even the family matriarch, please remember the very best times of days gone by and do whatever you can to recreate that joy for those around you in the “here and now.” We only have today, this day, to celebrate. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. So, in the name of all that is holy, may God bless each of you this Thanksgiving season and may your hearts be healed when your matriarch is missing from around the family table this year.

Cody D. Jones ‘02

Owner & Community Member

Every year at this time, there comes a point at which we stop our hustling and bustling to do everything on our lists of things to do in preparing for family and guests to join us for the holidays. It may be only a brief stop as we realize that we forgot to get a gift for Aunt Emma, who never fails to bring gifts for all of us. Or, we might have left the grocery store with nine bags of ingredients for Christmas dinner, but we forgot the eggnog. Something has to give. Is it just me or do you find yourself thinking back to when times “seemed” simpler and easier to navigate?

Yet, was it really that simple a time, or were we simply more satisfied with how we were accomplishing everything on our list? It seems that the families who begin decorating their homes for the holidays right after Turkey dinner is over are the happiest about seeing Christmas arrive. They embrace their “inner Christmas” spirit, and out comes the outdoor lights and because there is typically good weather, it’s perfect to climb around on the roof and connect all the bulbs from last year. One of my favorite commercials this year is a family home decorated with outdoor lights that take the word “Extreme” to a new level. The house right next to it has one simple word blazing in stand-up lights: “Ditto.” Poignant.

What are we trying to say to ourselves and to our families by the traditions we make? Do we string the Christmas cards we get across the mantle or place them atop the mantle to keep track of who has communicated with us? Even though greeting cards are being sent more often these days, there’s something special about holding a card we’d rescued from the mail stack of boring bills to bring a smile and a promise to renew our hearts and mind about the reason for the season of giving and glorious and unconditional love. How many stockings hang in our home this year?

In the Bryan-College Station area, we have seven counties that our outreach impacts each year at this time. The Salvation Army has its annual angel tree. This year, all of the angels in need (student and Salvation Army families alike) have the opportunity to grow up and believe In the kindness of the people where they live. Countless bikes, toys, jackets and other wearing apparel that these children not only need, but want, are gathered and assembled by volunteers. This means something special to us as we shop for the children whose names we pulled. Let’s face it, when we know that what we do matters, that we can help others in need really makes a difference, it’s a great feeling. Our volunteering matters.

Are you missing a loved one for the first time this Christmas? Some families like to represent the missing family member with an empty chair in the place where they always used to sit. There’s a significance in the absence of that person. Other people have a tradition where they invite someone who is all alone at the holidays to sit in the “missing you” chair. It fills two opportunities to make someone alone feel less lonely and to fill the empty space at the table.

Every passing of a patriarch or matriarch of a family is unique. No one can tell you what is right for you except yourself. The traditions you set and continue each year are those that your children will always remember as being yours, and then they will make that a part of their traditions as they get their own homes.

If your banquet table is full, if your kitchen is overflowing, and if you find your home the busiest time of year ever, then your holiday is truly blessed. Be sure to take photos to keep for years from now to remember when all this generation’s children are grown and return with children of their own. And if your table is missing a loved one or two this year, reach back for those photo albums and slowly go through the pages. Close your eyes and open your heart to the days when all your loved ones were around you and feel the love that never dies. It transcends generations before and will last all the way through your generations to come. God bless you at Christmas, and every day in the coming year.

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Cody D. Jones ‘02

Owner & Community Member