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Olney Mayor Pro Tem Tom Parker will resign from City Council in January to focus on his role as executive director of the Olney Economic Development Corporation, Mr. Parker told the Council on Dec. 11.

Christmas is here! The hustle and bustle of the season has come. There are so many events to attend, gifts to buy, and family gatherings to plan. So often the reason for the season sort of fades into the background as the world celebrates the holiday with great hoopla of decorations and parties. When the children are young—to see their smiles as the family tree goes up and decorated is such a joy. Then, to see the delight on their faces—no matter how small and insignificant the gift may be—proves the point that the value of the gift does not matter.

I recently ran across something I wrote at Christmastime when Emerald was just two years old. Reading it again reminded me of the small, precious moments that God blesses us with. They remind us of His goodness. Here’s one such memory that’s already ten years old: Tonight we pulled boxes from high shelves. We blew dust from the tops and sat together, pulling out memories one by one. “Remember this one?” we asked each other over and over again. And we did remember. We held each shiny ornament by its silky ribbon and dangled it in front of Emerald’s tiny face, telling her stories and explaining where we got each one. Her blue eyes blinked wide with wonder. She gasped each and every time. “Ooh, I love it! It’s my favorite!” We laughed at her enthusiasm, and we smiled at each other with delight because we all knew that each of us felt the same way she did.