Hi Everyone,

One of the traditions that Judy and I like to continue at Christmas time is watching White Christmas with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. And of course, the story-line asks the question, “Will there be snow for Christmas?”

Well, we can tell you that we definitely had snow for our Christmas. By the time the snow was done yesterday (Sunday) we had 13-14 inches. And the results were breath-taking! The last two days of our great winter storm dropped snow that was moist and so the result was trees and buildings flocked with snow. Below are a few pics of the beauty we’re looking at now.

Here's Itchy and her tribe eating at the feeder we've set up for the deer and blue jays and squirrels. Itchy comes in at least twice a day to snack on the corn and whatever else she can find.

Our Peace garden is coated with snowy diamonds. It is so beautiful and peacful here.

Judy and I were excited to have our kids and grandkids here for Christmas. So much fun and energy. Actually, we’re in recovery mode today (Monday). The squeals of delight as grandkids opened presents made Christmas extra special. The sticky snow made building snowmen easy. I (Pat) got ambushed by my kids and grandkids as I came back from plowing our driveway with the 4-wheeler. While I was admiring the giant snowman my kids and grandkids - and yes, even Judy - pelted me with snowballs from behind trees. Lots of laughter and giggling going on as the grandkids threw snow in my direction.

Judy and I find ourselves blessed today. With kids and grandkids, and even in-laws celebrating Christmas with us, we had a delightful time. Too much food - now I’ll have to exercise off those added pounds. Wonderful game times and goofy stories.

Well, it’s time to head into town for mail and supplies. Trusting each of you has a blessed week as you head into the New Year. God bless - and remember we love you guys. Pat & Judy

Hi Everyone,

Judy and I want to take a moment to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Without a doubt, 2009 has been a year of incredible blessings for Judy and me and for Smile Again Ministries. When the year started Whitetail Lodge was barely an idea, let alone a reality.

But as we talked with people the concept of opening Whitetail Lodge this year became more then a dream.

Judy and I still smile as people ask us how we designed Whitetail Lodge. It all started with a pencil drawing on a napkin in the fellowship hall of a church. That drawing then went to someone who could create the idea on their computer. From the computer it went to specific specs. And then the building began.

Now we have an incredibly beautiful area where we can have families who have lost children come and relax in cozy and comfortable surroundings.

Whitetail Lodge is a reality because of God’s rich blessings, and because of those of you who have so faithfully given and supported our efforts here. So it is with hearts filled with joy and thanksgiving that we express our gratitude to the scores of “friends” who have made our dream a reality.

We so look forward to serving families in 2010. Remember, if you know of someone who has lost a child please refer them to our website. Better yet, help them make a call to us so we can begin helping them deal with their grief.

God bless everyone, and remember - we love you guys. Pat & Judy

Hi Everyone,

From time to time people ask us, “What is one way we can help our friends?

They recently lost a child, so we’re wondering what we could do that would

help them?”

Judy and I would like to suggest that you give them the

gift of a stay at Whitetail Lodge. We have found that friends

often like to “go together” to pay for a couple’s stay here.

This would be a great Christmas idea, as a memorial to your

friends son or daughter who has died.

All you would need to do is contact us about your friend. Once you send in your

donation for the three or five night stay we could contact your friends and let them

know what you’ve done. Then they could pick out a time when they could come for a

stay here. Of course, we would let them know who it is that is providing for their stay

here - unless you would prefer to be anonymous.

Another thing you can do for someone who’s lost a child is to help them make a call to

Smile Again Ministries. It can be really hard for a mom or dad to make that first call to

us. There is often so much pain involved. Because of that, it’s always helpful for a friend,

like you, to actually sit down with them and help them make the call. Once they do that

it becomes much easier.

As we’ve been writing about the holiday season that’s approaching we want to remind

you that your greatest gift to your friends is your love and support. Let them know

today that you are thinking of them.

Gift cards to local restaurants can be a great gift too. As we mentioned in an earlier blog,

it can be incredibly hard for moms and dads who have had a child die to simply eat. That’s

because eating means buying groceries, then they have to prepare the meal, and clean-up.

And what seems like a simple thing to you can be overwhelming to those who have had

a child die. So gift cards to local eateries are often welcomed by grieving parents.

Hope these thoughts help you as you prepare to help your friends. We want to thank you

for reaching out to others with love and compassion. Remember we love you guys. God

bless - Pat & Judy

Hi Everyone,

Well I wanted to continue on with some ideas of how to help

grieving moms and dads and surviving siblings during the

upcoming holiday season.

For anyone who has had a child die, the holiday season can be

a time of extreme depression and loneliness. Particularly for the

family who has had a child die within the past year. So what can you

do to help?

One thing that many people don’t understand is the reality that a

parent who has had a child die will many times feel guilty if they

enjoy life. That seems strange, but it is so often true. What I mean by

that is that parents, and sometimes surviving siblings, feel guilty if

they find themselves laughing and enjoying life. Sometimes they will

stop in the middle of laughing and appear to withdraw. That’s usually

a sign that they are experiencing a moment of feeling guilty over

enjoying life. After all, they think, “I have had a child die, I can’t

enjoy life like this!”

Judy and I encourage friends and relatives of the hurting parents and

siblings to simply be patient. Don’t expect too much, too soon. Please

understand that grieving takes time. For many people it takes a L-O-N-G

time. In fact, we have found in working with moms and dads that the

second year following the death of a child is often harder emotionally

than the first year. So if you are a care-giver, please continue to encourage

even after what you might think is a long time. It means so much to the

hurting parent to have continued care and support.

Surviving brothers and sisters often find the first holidays very

uncomfortable. If they are younger in age, they still want to enjoy

everything that the holidays bring with them. They still want to have

the big Thanksgiving dinner with family all around. They still look forward

to celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah. What surprises some people is

the fact that a surviving sibling can express deep grief one moment,

and then announce that they are going out to play with their

friends. This is normal, by the way. It doesn’t mean they don’t care

about the death of their sibling, it simply means that they grieve on

their age level. For younger children, death is a very mysterious

thing that nobody seems to be able to really explain in a way they

can understand. So if you see a surviving sibling enjoying the holidays,

don’t express disappointment to them. Support their way of grieving

with encouraging words.

In our next blog I want to talk a little about ways you might be able

to help struggling moms and dads enjoy the holidays just a bit more.

Thanks for reading, and remember - we love you guys. God bless,

Pat & Judy