Dear Friends,
We find it hard to believe this is the “30th anniversary” of our Christmas letter efforts. For the first six Christmases or so, we did not bore you (if Ann Landers is to be trusted) with the activities of our family and the relations with kin and others. During many of the following years we also avoided the ritual, yet, in looking back at these efforts, it would be wonderful to have a written record of the memories of those missing years. Fortunately many of them still exist in the cluttered attic of our mind and the storage bins of our heart. What will be packed away for 1993?
In mid-February, another Camerino entered the world: Dillon Andrew, at 9 lb. 133/4 oz, joined his brother Jordan Michael, who had weighed a mere 9 lb. 12 oz. Tracey and Ken seem to be destined for large events in their lives. Dillon, who is just as cute as his big brother, is almost to the walking stage. Jordan is now in what some would call the “terrible two’s”, but he resides there only a minimal part of the time. Ken is still into computers and Tracey is still keeping up with the men in her life.
Not to be outdone, Chris and Kelly are counting on a brother or sister for daughter Kirby. High school biology and mathematics teachers must be especially addicted to lesson plans, since their children are scheduled for the end of the school year and the start of summer vacations: some vacations! Right now Kirby is the favorite grand-daughter and knows exactly how to win the adorableness awards.
Deb and Joe have moved back from Colorado to San Antonio where she is the Assistant Director for one of the branch libraries and he is with Our Lady of the Lake University Library. Although they have lost the mountains and scenery of the Rockies, they have gained in being closer to Houston, for us, and to Corpus Christi, for Joe’s relatives. They are also within driving distance of Dallas for the Cowboy games, which might even be more “relative” to the move south!
Since academic institutions no longer have a mandatory retirement age, a major project Pat has been working on for Baylor College of Medicine has been “incentives for early retirement.” It would be tempting for him to practice what he preaches. But some would say that this is probably equally true for the homilies he continues to give as a permanent deacon. Karen continues her own pursuit of a spiritual life through her ministry at the Cenacle Retreat House in Houston.
Once again Karen and Pat made a “big trip”; this time a cruise of the Mediterranean. It was the first time (and we hope not the last!) we have been on a cruise. It was even more fun than we were told it would be. The Royal Odyssey departed from Rome (where we visited the usual: St Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Roman Forum, Colosseum) for Naples and Pompeii. Then to Cyprus and Jerusalem. (We still cannot believe we’ve been to Jerusalem twice within one year!) Then on to Rhodes and Istanbul, where Pat got his fill of Crusader sights. Next: Ephesus, Corinth and Athens. Yes, last year we “did” the Gospels; this year it was the “Acts of the Apostles” and St. Paul’s journeys. We both wish that we could have spent more time in Ephesus meditating and praying and in Rhodes, just drinking up the atmosphere. Our day-dreams now include a return to Athens and the Greek isles, shortly after winning the Texas Lottery!
In reality, we did get to Put-in-Bay and South Bass Island in Lake Erie where we spent a relaxing, long weekend. It was part of a visit for Karen to Sandusky while Pat was attending his 40th high school reunion in Niles. It gave us an opportunity to see dear friends and relatives once more. And that is what life is really all about: to share with friends and relatives the gifts of memories and dreams, the fabric of love.
No one can be sure of the memories & dreams yet-to-come; but we treasure those we have acquired these past 12 months. We hope that your treasures have also been found again at this particular season of the year, when we seek in a special way the peace and good tidings promised so long ago.