Christmas, 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

The days are getting shorter. The air is crisp and chilly, and frost decorates our deck each morning. It’s time again to focus on Christmas. Terry has the nativity scene and lights up outside. We’re working on the inside. It’s looking hopeful. Then, I think about all the shopping we have left to do. GIFTS! This year when someone asks us what we want, Terry and I do have a ready answer—make a donation to world hunger or some life giving cause on our behalf. We think it’s the perfect gift:  We don’t have to think up something we want. They don’t have to shop ‘til they drop, and those who desperately need help, get some. However, that doesn’t solve my shopping anxiety. Christmas is the time when we somehow feel we need to find “just the right gift” for a whole list of people. Usually we wind up asking them what they want. This year it dawned on me that asking that question, especially of the grandkids, just encourages them to focus on themselves rather than to inspire in them a true Christmas spirit of love and concern for others. That’s not a gift. What I’d like to do is inspire in them love and appreciation for the first and real gift of Christmas, Jesus. And with that thought in mind, we still have our shopping to do. Maybe if we think back on some of the gifts that have been special to us, it will help us give the best kinds of gifts to others.

We are grateful for the many gifts we have received in our lives, and we want you to know that includes you! We appreciate the gifts of friends and family and our times together. We are looking forward to Abigail and Mark’s gift of a new granddaughter in January and hopefully some extra time with 2-year-old big brother Dietter as she gets settled in. Last year we got to spend special time with each of our older grandchildren and also have a celebration of Rosemary’s second birthday at our house with her “Anderson” family. In July, we celebrated the marriage of James’ son Jeremy and his wife Kate which makes us like great grandparents to their baby Sadie. We also appreciate Terry’s dad hanging in there at 91 years of age.

In September, we got to take a 3 week trip in our motor home and, for the first time, visit my Aunt Myrna and Uncle Harold in Oklahoma City. They showed us the sights, and it was a real gift to spend several days just visiting and being together. We met their friend Helen and her dog Rascal. We also got to visit with my cousin Marcie, her husband Gary and most of their family who I hadn’t seen in about 25 years.  Seeing all the sights along the way was a special treat as well. We even got to visit some old cemeteries in Nebraska and find the gravesites of my great great grandparents plus see the town where my mother was born as well as have breakfast with a cousin of my mother that I’d never met—Bob McKeen.

Another special gift this year has been spending more time with my brother Gary and his wife Lois. They have graciously offered us a place to stay when we’ve gone to the Puget Sound area for family gatherings. The best part is that we get in long relaxing visits. They even came to our place in July. We got to be with them last month when they hosted their wonderful annual Family Thanksgiving dinner with 28 people and 5 dogs in attendance, including the newest family member, Cailey Jane Sullivan, granddaughter of Gary and Lois and daughter of my niece Amy and her husband Jack. We look forward to seeing them all again when my brother Al and his wife Sue host the family Christmas gathering—another special gift.

We do appreciate the gift of friendship. We will have to enjoy that gift long distance with Sandy and Bill Wildman who moved to Cassville, Wisconsin this fall. We will miss having them close and hope to visit them next summer. In this case, our cell phones are also a gift.

This summer the WELCA Triennial Convention took place in Spokane. I attended this impressive event, and, as a bonus gift, we got to have Kathy Jacobson, Sandee Denn and Kay Ronde, friends from Ocean Shores, stay with us for several days. While here, we all went to visit Karen and Larry, other friends who moved here from the beach.

We also have the gift of a church family who we work with on many projects. This last fall, Terry spent a lot of time remodeling the entryway to our church building. We also helped with our big bazaar which brought in several thousand dollars, most of which goes to various charities, both local and worldwide. It is a gift to be part of that.

As you can tell, I could go on and on. We are indeed blessed with many gifts--many more than are mentioned here. We are grateful. We hope that you, too, are showered with a variety of wonderful gifts during the Christmas season and in the coming year.

                                                                                    With love, Terry, Margie & Twister