As
we rapidly approach another holy season of Christmas, we look back on the past
year of fond memories with great joy and a bit of sorrow. Mix them all together and you have the recipe
for life – the abundant life in Christ Jesus. He is our Strength, our Hope, our Redeemer,
and our Friend. What a privilege to
celebrate His birth and purpose! How
grateful we are that He is in control of everything!
This
year brought several travel opportunities, one of the perks of retirement. In mid-May Tony and I joined my sister Lisa
and brother-in-law Bob on a lovely trip to Greece. We toured Athens for 2 days, then spent 3 days
each on the islands of Mykonos and Santorini. Athens was spectacular! From ancient ruins to modern architecture and
everything in between, it is a city alive with history, culture, ethnicity, and
pride. We were somewhat concerned that
the precarious Greek economy might topple while we were there, but fortunately
we had no problems. After Athens we
spent idyllic days on Mykonos, a land of gorgeous scenery, windmills, and
crazy-twisty mountain roads, staying at a pretty, gleaming white hotel
overlooking endless blue water. On our
last night there, we were having dinner at a lovely outdoor restaurant when we
received a call from Erika, telling us that our precious Great Dane/Anatolian
Shepherd, Millie, had blown out both her back knees and was in very bad shape. We knew one of her knees had been bothering
her, and we took every precaution before boarding her. But this was during weeks of endless rain and
very slippery conditions. Apparently
when Millie was let out to do her business, she must have slipped, finishing
off the already bad knee and tearing the other one as well. She could not get up at all. I won’t go into detail, but suffice it to say
that Erika and Josh heroically did everything humanly possible for Millie. In the end, since it was virtually impossible
for us to be home in less than the week we had remaining, and with our vet’s
approval, we made the agonizing decision to have Millie put to sleep. I wanted more than anything to be there with
her as she made her journey, but we could not let her suffer even one day more.
When Erika texted a couple of pictures
of her, we could see the very real pain on Millie’s face. We couldn’t allow her to be in pain another
whole week until we could get home to her. Needless to say, there was a cloud over the
remainder of the trip, but we really tried to make the most of a difficult
time. Santorini was quite different from
Mykonos—more barren and stark. But we
did have some fun excursions, the best being a blissful all-day sailing trip
around the Cyclades. After our 3 days on
Santorini, we flew back to Athens for one more day before returning home. It was a very long, sad flight back to
Dallas. L
In
July Tony and I rented a van and drove to Jacksonville with Erika, Josh, Leo,
and Etta for a week of beach fun and amazing hospitality at Lisa’s and Bob’s,
including one of Chef Greg’s memorable meals. Then in August, Tony and I drove to see my
best friend Jan in Hampstead, NC. It was
a very peaceful week of visiting, reminiscing, remembering her husband Bob, and
spending time at the beach.
The
family is doing great! The kids are
growing and thriving, and their parents are doing a fabulous job balancing and
managing homes, school, jobs, sports, church, and activities. Jenni and Dave will celebrate 13 years of marriage
Dec. 28, which is also Zoey’s 9th birthday. Ruby is 6½, Maggie is
almost 5, and Sam just turned 3. Erika
and Josh had their 12th anniversary Sept. 13. Leo is now 7, and Etta will turn 5 in January.
I can hardly believe that Etta and
Maggie will start kindergarten next fall. Tony and I are so blessed to have our kids and
grandkids so near us. We love
participating in their lives and holding Zoey, Leo, Ruby, Etta, Maggie, and Sam
close to our hearts. Grandparenthood is the BEST!!! Bonus: the 6 cousins adore each other and
enjoy playing together more than anything.
I
turned 65 in April, joining Tony in the interesting and mind-boggling world of
Medicare. We’re gradually trying to
understand the idiosyncrasies and challenges of government medical care. Thankfully, we’re both fairly healthy and
don’t have to do too much navigating.
During
this holy season of Christmas, Tony and I think of you with fondness, love, and
prayers. We wish you good health,
safety, prosperity, happiness, and most importantly, a personal relationship
with Jesus Christ. A gift of love from
God the Father, He came to earth from heaven, lived the perfect life we could
not, and paid the price for our transgressions. He is the only way to abundant life with God
eternally. All we have to do is believe
this simple concept, ask His forgiveness, and open our hearts to make room for
Him. This is the best and most important
decision anyone can make, and it’s so easy. The best way to face each new day is to have
the security of a future in heaven no matter what kind of hurdles life throws
at us. May this be the year each one of
you really, truly knows Jesus.
We hope to hear from
everyone and we look forward to hearing about your year. May God bless each of you abundantly. Joyous Christmas and Happy New Year! Love, Mona
Back row: Dave, Jenni, Erika, Josh // Middle row: Maggie, Tony + Sam, Mona + Etta // Front
row: Zoey, Ruby, Leo
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