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It took me a few days, but I think I have thawed out from Friday night’s game. I’ll bet they did great with the hot cocoa business at the concession stand on Friday. I also saw several toboggans that must have been purchased from the Coyote wagon. I had some trouble with that word toboggan. Where I come from you ride one of those down a hill. You put it on your head only when you want to carry your toboggan up the hill so you can ride it down again! It’s just one of those little translation things.

The Cheerleaders, assisted by the 5th and 6th grade girls and

the entire student body of RSISD, presented the cancer society with $237 at the game Friday night. The students donated money in exchange for the opportunity to wear their hats all day long. Mr. Fowler got a kick out of telling the kids to take off their hats, only to “remember” that they were

allowed. I’m not sure who had the most fun in that game. The juniors and seniors were selling chances on baskets and table runners. As usual, I did not come home with a prize! Lynn Green won the table runner, and that lucky Valerie Gossett won one of the baskets. Congratulations everyone. By the

way, Mrs. Gossett is still asking for box tops. She uses these to buy books for the library.

Mr. Fowler took the time to eulogize Bob McMillan, who passed away last week. Many in the crowd were not aware of his passing, and expressed regret and appreciation for all he had done over the years. The service, which was held in Brownwood on Saturday, was a testimonial of his

popularity. One attendee said they had never seen so many flowers in one place.

I received a letter from Patsy Hamrick. She wrote to tell me that Michael Beasley, W.J. and Susan Sewell were mourning the loss of their mother, Marie Beasley. Mrs. Beasley was buried in Holt Cemetery on October 17th. We also received the sad news Sunday that David Evans lost his long

fight with cancer and went home to be with the Lord. Our prayers and condolences go out to Junior and Bonnie Evans at this sorrowful time. Although it is a time of rejoicing for Christians, we still grieve for the loss of our loved ones. Service plans for David have yet to be finalized.

It’s time for shoeboxes. The Samaritans Purse Ministry, run by

Franklin Graham, delivers hundreds of thousands of Christmas boxes to children around the world. It’s one of the things I look forward to at this time of the year.

Elisa Draper is home. She had a fairly eventful week. First she

was taken to Brownwood, and then transferred to San Angelo. Since neither of these produced a return to health; she was care flown to Scott and White. Thankfully, this visit produced a return to health and home for Elisa. We hope and pray her health will continue to improve, and she can rejoin her

friends here at church.

There is still room for you in the Christmas Cantata. Every new

voice will only add to the depth of the sound. This beautiful and touching musical will be complemented by the students of RSISD. Our students will perform the play as we sing. Mary Kate is pulling together a superb musical.

The musical itself has a beautifully sweet spirit. I can’t wait for the actual performance. Coyote football fans were treated to a cold but winning football game on Friday to close out the regular season. Now we head into playoff

season. I intend to take lots of warm things to the next game! We wish our young men all the best as they seek to continue our winning tradition.

It’s mind boggling, but we are about to put another 6 weeks

behind us. Report cards will be out before Thanksgiving. UIL participation is dependent upon passing grades. In a little school, we need all our students to compete in as many events as possible. By the way, I hope everyone took the time to vote on Tuesday. I’m also hoping the vote for the tax rate to stay the same was successful. I can’t frankly imagine this town

without a school. I know it has happened to other towns in this area, but I just can’t see Richland Springs without this vital component. The future is in the hands of our citizens and God.

The 5th Grade attended Farm Safety Day in San Saba on Wednesday. Although a little windy, the weather was perfect. We had delicious grilled sausages for lunch. Hopefully the kids learned enough interesting facts to

use to keep them safe. Justin Hallmark told me it was the best field trip he had ever been on. All that fun and a free cute tee shirt is just too much for one trip! Our kids were just wonderfully well behaved. I expected Sherriff Brown to present us with the free ice cream for the best behaved kids, but the ice cream did not materialize. We deserve that treat!

Bev Cohn tells me she had about 80 kids on Halloween night. We

had some great costumes on Friday. I expect we’ll have kids on sugar highs for the next week or two. Should make for some fun days!

I hope everyone has a blessed week. Please pray for our

President, our government and our precious troops. Holidays are so hard on families that are separated by life changing events.