Bill W

Yes, the trials are over and now the family has to deal with the pandemic. I'm sure they'll handle it in typical Currie fashion.

When we arrived at school on Wednesday, I could almost feel the anticipation in the air as everyone – students, faculty, and staff – was expecting a verdict soon. The Judge was prepared to give the case to the jury today, and although we weren’t sure how long they might deliberate, we’d be dealing with this sense of anticipation until the verdict was handed down. It was difficult keeping the students’ attention on what we were doing, so I quickly switched plans and used this as a review day

You're welcome, and thank you for the kind word. I hope this encourages GA members to stay safe this Christmas.

I was in the army in the late 60s, early 70s. The height of the Viet Nam War.

I have also been wearing a mask whenever I go out. Hang in there and don't get discouraged by having to do these things. It only takes a momentary lapse in judgment to put yourself at risk. It's been my favorite song too, since I spent a Christmas away from my family when I was in the army.

Thanks for the feedback, Chris, and I'm glad you agree with my solution. I just want everyone to make sure the have a happy and safe holiday season, no matter which religion they adhere to and which holiday they celebrate. By being smart you not only save yourself, but your loved ones and friends as well.

I know, DaddyD, and that's why I wrote this story. I wanted to show that we aren't the first to find ourselves in this situation and there are other ways we can still enjoy the holidays without putting our families and the community at risk. I hope this does some good and maybe saves a few lives.

Thanks, flesco, and it's not only so we can celebrate with our loved ones next year, but that all of our loved ones will stay healthy and still be around next year, and not a statistic of the pandemic.

Tony, thank you for your kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Stay safe and have a Merry Christmas, along with all of the other GA members.

It’s 2020 and people are struggling with how they will be able to spend Christmas with their families, due to the pandemic. Tony and his partner, Jeremy, have devised a way they can safely spend Christmas with Jeremy’s family, but will everyone be happy with it?

The year 2020 has been a rough one, with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way we live and how we do things. Even though certain segments of the population have tried to downplay the severity of the situation, I’ve taken it seriously and tried to follow the suggested recommendations to lessen the spread of the disease. I wear a mask whenever I leave my apartment, try to social distance by keeping at least six feet away from anyone else, and most of all I’ve done my best to help protect my elder

Unfortunately with so many characters, Jake often gets left in the shadows, so it's nice to see him brought into the light for some well deserved attention. I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I want you and everyone else to stay safe as well.

Yes, Wesley, there's still a lot going on. Jake had his special day where he was the center of attention and not merely relegated to the background, and I think he enjoyed it. Tristan and Revin are showing that they too are growing up and maturing, so we'll see where this goes. You'll soon discover how Tamara's tormentors fare after their time in court, and I hope we're all prepared for the outcome. Happy December to you all.

Jrm, I think I mentioned Tristin and Revin having oral sex in an earlier comment to someone. I got confused about whether I had shared that chapter with you, since I was writing far ahead at the time. I hope I didn't give anything away that spoiled this revelation for you. We'll see where this goes - if it is merely experimentation or if the pair is more deeply connected. As you saw with the Currie boys as they grew up, it can happen either way. As far as Tamara, I've already finished writing this book but I may consider exploring her situation further if I write another. I'm not say that I will write another book, just that if I do I'll try to include more about Tamara in it to sate your curiosity about her. And Jake had his special day and was shown that he was loved and respected as well. Sometimes the fact that Jake prefers to stay in the background causes us to fail witnessing all of his interactions with the boys, which is unfortunate, but we now see how much he means to this family. Everyone stay safe and warm during the coming holidays. It's even getting down in the 30s at night here in GA, which has me shivering, but lets continue to make our way safely through this pandemic. It appears there is light at the end of the tunnel with the announcement of multiple vaccines in the pipeline, although it might be a while yet before we get any of them.

The lawyers have called their witnesses and made their arguments and now the case is in the hands of the jury. If this is a fairly intelligent group then they will see through the arguments that the boys were just being boys and convict them, but we also know how often juries have failed in delivering justice. Let's hope this jury will do better. If they are convicted, I'm sure they will have to pay the piper.

Shortly after we returned to school following the Christmas/New Year’s break, we learned the boys who’d been charged with indecent sexual assault for stripping Tamara would be going on trial in about a week. Jury selection would begin a week from the day we returned to classes. We were also told the defense attorneys for the boys who held her legs and the one who took her clothes off were trying to get plea agreements for their clients, but the prosecutor turned them down. Obviously, the prosecu

Yes, Clancy, you're probably right and the Currie could benefit by having a bell. It might also explain why teachers in one room school houses used a bell to let their students know it was time to come inside and start class. Some bells can carry a long way. Just think of all the bells that were used throughout history to signal big events - church bells to summon parishioners to service, bells like the Liberty Bell to notify citizens of important events, and bells on ships to signal the time. I might consider using a bell in the future.

Thanks, Danilo, and I'm glad you enjoyed hearing from characters we don't see very often any more. Nicky and Jordan were instrumental in getting their parents into accepting Josh and Jake's relationship, but I wouldn't exactly say it was a trick. They were just trying to find away that they could spend time with their grandfather again. I'm not good about predicting the future, so I can say whether Nicky will be taking over from Mark when it comes to handling the family and Castaway Foundation expenses. Mark's been doing a great job doing that, so I doubt anyone will want to change, but Nicky might assist him. Who knows? It's nice to see you're thinking ahead and exploring possible options.

Thanks, Tony. I'm glad you're enjoying the walk down memory lane and looking at the past exploits from a different perspective. As far as past books, the original series was written closer to the current dates when I was writing them, usually just a year or so behind. The next generation books were generally written a few years behind the current date and book 4 is the first one where I'm getting close to catching up to the current time. We won't get caught up completely, but this book will end in the middle of 2020, and as of now I have no plans for a book 5. I think you'll see why as you read the final chapters of book 4, because there's not a lot going on that the family can do and I don't want to conjecture about the future. I hope that helps explain things.

Thanks, Wesley.

Thanks, Jrm. Yes, the things they're doing currently are bound to bring back memories or other events that happened long ago. There are many good memories to enjoy and I'm sure they're being discussed in private. I'm glad you're enjoying this part of the story. The first service at the new church went very well, although they noticed some slight differences, but nothing that can't be dealt with. We'll see what happens next.

Nearly everyone slept in a little later the next morning, and after we ate, the younger kids went to watch the parades on TV. They did that until lunchtime, and after Elliot got back from taking Ian home, the kids talked him, Noah, and Holly into taking them tobogganing again. While they were doing that, some of the others began watching the football games in the family room, while still others watched a movie in the living room. We did those things until the kids returned, and when the mov

Usually it's spending time with the family, but I've spoken to each of them over the phone so that will have to do this year. I'd like to wish each of you in the US a very Happy Thanksgiving and please stay safe.

I'm glad you see that there are many sturggles, but for the last few chapters the Curries will primarily be dealing with the pandemic and how it's effecting the plans they've made previously. As Jrm pointed out, Josh is an individual at high risk, as is TJ, and Danny and Brandon deal with patients and their parents who might have been exposed. There were a couple of weddings planned for the coming summer, many birthdays to be celebrated, and Josh is expecting the addition of two more grandchildren. We'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

Jrm, you bring up a lot of good points about how they're going to deal with the virus. Yes, Vinnie would be included with the high risk group, but if you remember he's a teacher that works with special needs students, so he'll be dealing with that, and since Kevin runs the pharmacy that will bring some of the risk home. I don't think the Curries will be anti-maskers, since so many of them are professionals and a number of them work in the health industry. Thank you for your comment about the sermon. I guess my youthful years attending church paid off and gave me a vision of how I look at religion and how it should deal with the problems that face all of us. I have a problem with originalists when it comes to religion or the constitution, because I feel both documents should grow with the times and adapt to situations that probably weren't even imagined when those items were first written. I think we need to put more emphasis on the people, not on the documents when making our decisions. Even Jesus did that during his time on earth and those changes shouldn't stop there. There are only a few more chapters to go, so I won't be going into great detail about the pandemic, except where it affects the main Currie household for now. I hope that doesn't disappoint anyone.