Sometimes it’s called “being organized”; othertimes, being a “pack rat”. Either way it results in a file of past Christmas letters back to 1980. Some began with an apology for another form letter (brought on, no doubt, by reading Ann Landers and all of her writers who dislike annual Christmas letters); others, with a bold assertion that next year we would get started early enough to write personal ones, but this year we were (again) so rushed that we had to resort to another form letter. (This is soft guilt rather than hard guilt.) No matter what the cause may be and recognizing that although you may side with Ann’s friends, we are, nevertheless, again sending what is now our “traditional” word-processed greeting. While it may be reproduced mechanically, the warmth we offer is far from mechanical.
Over the past year the changes have been minimal, or gradual enough to go unnoticed. Perhaps that means we are finally maturing, which sounds better than aging. One change has been Karen’s return to a paid position in the church. She is now the Associate Director of the Family Life Ministry Office for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. This means she is involved in all those efforts that make up the part of life she omitted when she worked for the Vocations Office: engagements, marriages, annulments, family planning, parenting, family development, etc. Pat still devotes his days to Baylor College of Medicine and his evenings and weekends to Christ the Good Shepherd Catholic Community.
Deb remains in San Antonio where she is one of six coordinators for the city’s Convention Center. Having an office next to River Walk, a major tourist center, has its advantages and disadvantages. Ken is using his psychology training at a local psychiatric hospital. He has his own apartment about ten minutes away from Grand Valley, a minor tourist attraction for him when he is in need of a home-cooked meal. Kip is about to enter his student teaching in an Austin suburb. Next comes a full-time job as a biology teacher, probably in the Houson area, after he graduates from Southwest Texas State.
Our travel has been limited this year. A meeting in Charleston, S.C. allowed us a chance to see the Boston-of-the-South last spring. We recommend it highly. This summer we spent our usual week at Notre Dame taking a couple classes there: a busman’s holiday. A fall meeting allowed us to journey to Washington D.C. where we experienced their 15 inches of overnight snowfall. It was an excellent reminder of why we moved to Houston. (But we also admit that we miss the colors, even the whites, of New England and the northland.)
As we close this summary of our life for 1987, we wish each of you happiness and peace in the coming months. This next year dawns with a hoped-for change in the world. May it bring you a personal sense of the peace we seek.
N.B. It’s about time we stopped apologizing for what had become a routine endeavor. This appears to be the first computerized letter; at least an electronic copy does exist. There is, however, an “error.” This letter says my file goes back to 1980. Actually, I’ve found letters from 1963, 1964 and 1968. I’m even a greater pack rat than I thought.