Man from U.N.C.L.E. Section VII

Okay Cousins, it's Thursday and we're almost ready to ring the Christmas Bells.  I've had more work lately than a semi-retired person should encounter, but always grateful when the check is deposited.  Actually I don't know what semi-retired is supposed to mean or look like because most of us never stop working at something, and hardly any of us have the luxury of not needing to.
I am personally not getting in much writing, but am hopeful that the New Year will provide a little more time for that.  Is anyone else experiencing that? Sometimes life truly does rearrange our plans and free time.
We had a really good Round Robin, Twas the UNCLE Before Christmas; many thanks to all of the writers who participated and the readers who cheered us on.
12 Days of Christmas is still going on.  Stop in and share a favorite Christmas memory with all of us.
Don't forget to utilize the Archive, it's at the top of our page in Section VII.  You can go back and find stories from previous Christmas seasons as well as all of the postings from our entire history.
Whether you're observing Christmas as a person of faith, or from the aspect of its enchantments and joys as a place of peace and sharing, I hope this season will bring something special into your life.  Some of us have families, other of us are part of a smaller sphere.  The light of Christmas is something that ultimately shines within us, a shared joy in the simplest offerings or the magical sense of awe as children wait for that mystical elf.

It's been a hectic week, and I apologize for not being as present as I'd like.  Real Life is just as pesky as previously reported by others who have experienced it.
I'm working part time but that means a big chunk of my day with driving, and then I'm still transporting a cousin to dialysis once or twice a week.  I have found out this week that my nearest (in age) cousin to whom I have always been greatly attached, is now in hospice care for a cancer diagnoses that was only discovered this past June.  I haven't been able to see her this week, although I was with her last Saturday; still, one desires to be close at hand during times like this.  I'm hopeful of getting over there today after work and a short rehearsal for tomorrow's church service.  Oh yeah, add music to the list, I'm now fully involved in doing that.
So, I'm with you here in spirit, with stories on the back burner and will hopefully have posted in the near future.
You're all terrific, and I continue to be thankful for the support shown here at Section VII for our vision of fiction based on the original TV show.  Christmas is busy for most, stressful at times and even lonely for those without family.  I hope we are family here, able to help fill the gap where there is one and willing to share our lives with each other.
Please continue to enjoy and contribute to our weekly challenges as we head for the Big Day, December 25th.  Christmas is the event for which the entire year longs, hearts yielding to the inherent joy of a celebration gleaned from the promise of baby upon whose life a world would gain insight into the heart of God.  I believe in the child, and in the promise.  In the midst of loss even, I have a confidence that there is more than what we can see around us.
I hope your days are filled with wonder and awe, with anticipation and a joy not dependent on the circumstances you face.  Life is more than that, and even our beloved Men from UNCLE have a vision for something beyond the reasonable expectations of a society too often given over to complacency.
Thanks again, I appreciate all of you so much.
Glenna

I want to thank everyone who carries on with Section VII, even when I'm not here to participate.  I've had a run of events that have kept me away from home quite a lot and will continue to do so through the weekend.  Some of it is work, some of it is helping a relative ... all of it away from the computer.
I will hopefully have my own Back to School story up by at least the end of this challenge, but in the meantime, y'all are awesome.  I'm going to try and get some reading done in the next few days, catch up with everything you're posting.
Okay, I just wanted to check in and let you know I'm here in spirit.