My Christmas letter is a little later than usual this year. The past several weeks have had a number of unusual things going on, so I’m more behind than I’d like to be. Last month the well went dry (that we’d only put in 4 years ago), so we had to get a new one drilled. We had this one “witched” by a friend and got the best flow we’ve ever had (10 gal/min) at 310’ instead of the 700’ for the last one. Then we tried to get the oil stove in the basement going and it wouldn’t so we needed to have it serviced. Turned out that our daughter had let it burn out at the end of last winter and some of the sludge from the bottom of the tank got into the supply line and it needed to be blown out. Ah, the life of being a homeowner!
Now on to my usual topics…
Family
Family is obviously the most important aspect of our lives. The arrangement this year was that we would take Ethan down to FL for three weeks at the beginning of the summer, then Chris and family would bring him up when they joined us for our family vacation at Pinebrook. At the end of that week, they would take Isaiah back with them and we’d pick him up several weeks later. So, I got to take two short trips to FL as neither of the boys are old enough for the airline to let them fly on their own.
We only had a few inklings that our time at Pinebrook would be a little different this year. As always, that week in mid-July is the time for several family milestones – our anniversary on the 17th, Asher’s birthday on the 18th, Donna’s birthday on the 19th, then Asher’s spiritual birthday on the 23rd. With our week there starting on Sunday, the 18th, we missed our anniversary by a day, but that meant that our children could surprise us when we arrived that afternoon since it was 50 years since we “tied the knot!”
Kim had stolen our address book as well as managed to find the box with all our pictures from our wedding. Three of my siblings – from CT, NY, and CA – were there and we had a zoom call from Thailand from the youngest sibling. In addition, Donna’s brother and his new significant other from MI (whom we had not met in person before) were there. But perhaps most unexpected were Doug and Kay Robinson from MI – the best man and maid of honor from our wedding – who had met at our wedding and gotten married just 5 months later. We also had many from our church who had made the trip to Pinebrook (about an hour from our home) to join us for the celebration. It was a great afternoon! There is a picture from our wedding as well as one of me with my siblings below. I’ve also included a picture of all of us at Pinebrook so you can see how the grandchildren are growing! (They are now 17, 15, 11, 11, 9, 8, 7.)
We continue to have a video call with Chris and family almost every week so we can talk to him and see the rest of the family on a regular basis. We really appreciate having this sort of involvement. And, of course, we see Kim and family every day.
Homeschooling and more Family Stuff
When I wrote last year, we were just a few months into homeschooling our four PA grandsons. We are now into our second year and the boys are in grades 6, 4, 4, and 2. So our days are pretty busy keeping them all on track, reviewing their submissions to ensure that they understand the material, and helping with the technology when an assignment requires a picture/video of their work. They finished last year with all A’s and are doing even better this year. Yes, it’s a burden on our time and means that it’s hard to take time off for the two of us, but this is an investment of our time that will have huge benefits.
At the recommendation of both our children, we have made the decision to start the process of downsizing and then selling the house that we’ve lived in since 1977 and move across the street to live with Kim and family. The primary motivation is that this house is two stories and requires much up/down stairs which is getting more difficult as time goes by (more on that below). We spend several hours each day across the street already, including having supper together every evening.
In preparation, we converted the finished basement there into a boy’s room by moving the bunkbeds down. So, Donna and I will have what used to be the two bedrooms on the main level (one for a bedroom and one for a small sitting room with a futon, easy chair [a lift chair] for me, and our TV). But downsizing after so many years is not easy, especially for Donna who tends to be a collector. Once we’ve emptied this house, then we’ll sell it and use the proceeds to put an addition on the other house to add a much-needed extra bathroom and a “multi-purpose” room so that Donna and I can have a get-away space where we can entertain, etc. Meanwhile, we’re trying to get the two former boys’ bedrooms ready (repainting, etc.) as Chris and family are coming up next month to help us move our bedroom set, etc. over. Changes, changes, and more changes!
Health Updates
I’ll summarize my health in just four words – head, heart, pancreas, foot. My Alzheimer’s is still stable with periodic testing. I did have a brain MRI this year to check on things. My heart is also still ticking quite nicely and is of no concern. I’ve finally reached the point where my diabetes needed more attention, so I’m now taking a daily injection of insulin. Amazing how one learns to stick a needle in oneself like that. I also had the wound on my foot re-open (I have an arthritic growth at the base of my big toe which puts a lot of pressure on that area). I now have special shoes and am working through the very slow process of getting things to heal up.
But probably the biggest concern is that Donna’s hip is giving her a lot of pain – especially going up/down stairs. She’s been to see a surgeon and is looking at a hip replacement in the spring (after we’ve gone through the holidays, the first round of downsizing, and the move to across the street). She has severe osteoporosis and the potential for a fall is part of what’s prompting the move to a single-level home.
Miscellaneous
I’ve been keeping busy otherwise with genealogy and blogging. One of my Facebook friends from high school challenged me this year to see how many of my high school classmates were related to me. So that took many hours of research – answer, about 1/3 of them! But these two activities keep my mind active.
I’d like to close with something a little different. The Wednesday night ladies Bible study at church was doing something a little unusual the past few weeks and having different ladies present the Christmas story from the perspective of the first Christmas participants. Donna was asked to take one of the weeks and present from the perspective of an angel. As part of that she wrote a poem for the occasion. She’s not as prolific a writer as I am, but her creativity and insight are much better than mine. So, here is a copy of what she wrote:
When I think of Christmas (a
poem)
When I think of Christmas
Just
what will it be
Of tinsel, of wrapping, of bright Christmas tree?
When I think of Christmas
Down
deep in my heart
Of friends and of family- I long for a part
When I think of Christmas
Eternity’s
view
My wish is for Jesus, for each one of you
How great is the gift of a Savior
The
angels proclaimed Christmas day
How great is the gift of a Savior
For our
sins He has taken away
When I think of angels
and
what they proclaimed
A Savior for us and the glory of His name
When I think of Christmas
This is
how it should be
His joy in our hearts for all glorious is He.
May you also think of Christmas with HIS joy in your hearts!
We love you all!
Alan & Donna
[Wedding and 50th
Anniversary]
Front row in
age order: Aryon, Tiernan, Ilyanna, Ethan, Isaiah, Caleb, Asher
Back row: Pam,
Chris, Alan, Donna, Kim
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