Dear Friends,
It’s a little difficult, even after all of these years in Texas, to get into the holiday spirit when the temperature is still in the eighties. But this condition is better than the floods of October and November. Our neighborhood had some impassable streets and we needed creative routes to get to the main highways, but we did survive better than some, for which we are grateful. One flood is more than enough for us, even though there are Houstonians who live through them on almost an annual basis. We are indeed pleased that we moved from “Ponderosa Forest” to “Longwood” three years ago. (Yes, that really was the name of our subdivision for the first eighteen years in Houston!) Given our current plans, we are looking forward to our future years in Longwood, or Cypress Texas if you prefer the town to the subdivision.
Pat’s plans, in concert with further restructuring at Baylor College of Medicine, call for him to “retire” as of July 1, 1999. This is one way to beat the Y2K problems, providing the TIAA/CREF system that writes the retirement checks makes it into the next millennium. Regardless of all the dire predictions for the end of next year, we are looking forward to the days of this millennium and the next. We hope you are too as we enter this countdown period.
With Pat’s retirement, we intend to continue, if not increase, our travels. This last year we were in Ohio for Pat’s 45th high school reunion. Karen spent the time with her female relatives searching for and finally finding Greer Ohio and their Swank – Fulmer roots. This has been an annual quest for a number of years now. Yes, it would have been easier to have used an Ohio map; but then the challenge would have been gone. She now needs another quest.
In addition to the Ohio vacation there was also an extended wedding for the son of a dear couple in Beverly Hills. We could write an entire letter on that experience. But if we did, an even longer journal would be needed for the two weeks we had in Italy in October. We began with Venice and the Italian Alps. The next week took us to the Italian Riviera and finally to Florence. It is remarkable just how many churches and museums two people can see if they are determined. (Pat has five hours of video tapes which he has not yet dared to show to “friends” or people he would like to keep as friends. Karen bought him a computer program for editing video tapes and that is to be one of his “retirement” projects. Those who might visit us after July 1, 1999, are now forewarned. This might encourage you to see us before then.)
Karen is still very active with The Cenacle Retreat House as a spiritual director and a trainer of spiritual directors. Her plans call for her to continue this journey along with her ministry to those with cancer.
Our six current grandchildren continue to amaze and amuse us. Jordan and Kirby have begun first grade. Their brother and sister Dillon and Kennedy are looking forward to joining them for full days for school. Christina and Thomas, siblings of Jordan and Dillon, have a few more years to wait, even if it is impossible for them to really “wait” for anything!
Ken now works for BMC, a computer company. Tracey works for Jordan, Dillon, Christina, Thomas and a sister-to-be-named. Chris continues to teach, although this year’s chemistry is not preferred to the biology of the past years. (The same goes for the football team he coaches.) Kelly still focuses on the mathematical side of education. Deb and Joe remain as librarians in San Antonio, although the ratio of books to electronics may be shifting.
And so another year rushes to its conclusion … along with the century and the first two thousand years of celebrating the birth of the Christ child. This is what this letter is really all about. The celebration of the coming into our lives of the Son of God, calls us to remember you, our friends who have come into our lives at some time in the past and who remain in our hearts and memories. Once more we wish you the joy of this Day of Celebration … and of all those to come.