I was amazed at the response to last week's blog post. This year's Holiday Challenge seemed to truly stir people and I was astonished at the emails I received regarding it. People shared stories of donations of time and money to everything from children's hospitals to food pantries and nursing homes to armed service support groups. It really was overwhelming. Thanks for sharing the stories and my hope is you'll keep that magic going throughout 2012.

That kind of response is the one thing that never ceases to amaze me. We have some of the most loyal customers in the business and I'm grateful for the support. We work hard to earn your patronage and it's great to know that does not go unnoticed. Thank you for all your business over the years and I promise we will continue to work tirelessly to gain it again in the coming year.

I am very optimistic about 2012. I see change on the horizon and the months ahead will be very exciting. I'm reminded of a poem from the English poet Edith Lovejoy Pierce...

We open the book.
Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them.
The book is called Opportunity,
and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

Happy New Year everyone! Time to start writing...