Dear Friends,
Remember last December when some of us were so concerned about Y2K? New Year’s Day went by with more of a whimper than a bang, thank goodness! Now here we are in mid-December and as of this date we still don’t know the name of the next president! We hope by the time you receive this note, all will be resolved and the 200 lawyers will have moved on to other cases. We must be getting old. We remember the ‘good old days’ when we knew with some certainty on Wednesday who had been elected on Tuesday.
We have had a good year. Pat hasn’t missed commuting to the Medical Center at all, and Karen has enjoyed having him around the house – even if he spends much of that time wooing his computer! He has been very involved in the marriage preparation aspects of parish ministry, on both the parish and diocesan levels. At any given time, he is working with some l5 or so engaged couples, as well as teaching several courses at the parish. We wonder how he ever had time to hold down a full-time paying job.
Karen is still spending much of her time at the Cenacle Retreat House, teaching, doing spiritual direction and facilitating days of prayer and retreats. It’s not full time, but sometimes it feels that way! She really has cut back on the teaching aspects of her job in order to make time to be with Pat more, to travel and to explore new avenues for future ministry.
Of course, we are blessed by having our children and grandchildren close by. At present we have seven of the most beautiful, talented and brilliant grandchildren ever created – no bias here at all! Ken and Tracey are expecting number six next summer. We never cease to be impressed with their parenting. If anyone can handle a family that large, they can do it with grace and skill. Chris and Kelly and their wonderful daughters, Kirby and Kennedy are also a source of joy for us. When all of us are around, including Deb and Joe who are still living in San Antonio, we have joyful chaos. We have been tempted from time to time to consider moving back to a state where there are fall leaves, winter snow and crisp evenings, but with all the kids and grandkids here in Texas, we’re here to stay. We remember too well our own children growing up without much contact with our parents and we’ll do whatever we can to be close at hand while our children’s children grow up.
Our annual trip this past year was one of the best ever! We spent three weeks in the Alps, the first week in Stresa, Italy, the second in Gstaad, Switzerland, and the final week in Seefeld, Austria. Each place was filled with beauty, history and time to relax and explore. Perhaps our favorite side trip was to take the lift to the top of a mountain in Austria and watch while several parasailors took off below us. We visited Oberammergau, Germany and bought a lovely handcarved nativity to add to our collection. We also bought some nativity figures in Austria – an unusual group dressed in Tyrolean outfits (the three wise men are wearing top hats, black suits and knee britches!).
We are doing pretty well, health-wise, although we’ve added eyeglasses and pillboxes to our list of indispensable take-alongs. Karen will celebrate five years of being cancer-free in March, 2001. We never know what life will reveal in the next year, but God has been very good to us in our 42+ years together and we look forward to the next years with anticipation and trust.
We wish you – our relatives and very special friends – a blessed and joy-filled Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Our thoughts are with you often, even if we limit the words to these annual letters.