Dear Friends,
Sometimes expectations work out and are fully met; other times they don’t. Last January Karen had orthopedic surgery to replace her right shoulder, with the expectation the final results would be as beneficial as were those for each of her knee replacements in previous years. After surgery and months of diligent rehabilitation under therapists of Eagle’s Trace, she has had no relief from chronic pain and perhaps an even more limited range of motion. So, no, there will be no replacement of the left shoulder; she advises others not to do it either. Meanwhile, she copes well with unfulfilled expectations and has not limited her range of motion for the rest of an on-going, active retirement. Pat without any metallic parts has an easier time getting through airport security. And being of an appropriate age, neither one needs to remove shoes!
So, no, we did not give up our annual trip abroad! This fall we re-visited places we’ve seen before. In previous years we’ve cruised rivers from Amsterdam to the Black Sea, with the exception of a short piece between Vienna and Budapest. This year we filled it in. We again started in Prague and once more greatly enjoyed the sights of Old Town and Castle Hill. We went by motorcoach through the Czech Republic, with a charming stop in Krumlov, to board a Danube cruise ship docking in Vienna, Bratislava (capital of Slovakia), and Budapest, all of which we had visited before. However, we did spend a day in Salzburg, even if we weren’t able to attend a Mozart concert. In Budapest we met up with Ethan Ratliff-Crain, the grandson of Karen’s sister, Tami; he is studying mathematics for his semester abroad.
Our own grandchildren are well and active. Jordan is managing a restaurant in College Station and would like to own one there. Dillon married Carolyn this summer. After he completes his work at Lone Star Community College, he hopes to enter the Police Academy. Home-schooled Christina is thinking about her own college plans; someday Thomas might be a veterinarian. Victoria, Olivia, Damien and Joseph are enjoying the present and are not concerned about future plans, yet. Gabriel, too, is enjoying himself as the pampered youngest one. Kirby is a senior at UT-Austin and exploring future options. (So is Stephen, the guy she’s “dating.”) Kennedy, a sophomore at Texas State, has plans for a nursing career.
Ken and Tracey try to keep up with their nine kids and his home-office work (along with his being in the archdiocesan choir). Christopher and Kelly have a bit more freedom with Kirby and Kennedy out of the house, but seem to have gathered increased work with their students as replacements. Deb (Cammie) still enjoys her work with the San Antonio library system. She and Frank remain living in the “country” (Elmendorf, TX) while he teaches mathematics at Northwest Vista, a community college in San Antonio.
Karen continues offering days of prayer at Eagle’s Trace (ET) and elsewhere, when she is not involved with the Brookwood Community, a resident-campus for challenged adults. If there is a need for an ET holiday service, e.g. Thanksgiving, she is the one who plans it and contributes to its content. Sometimes she gets Pat’s participation as well, although he devotes most of his ET community efforts to coordinating an interdenominational Bible Study and adult education for Catholics. There are about 20 participants in each group and, at this age, they love to discuss and share lifetimes of “wisdom” on just about everything.
It seems we remain as involved as ever in community and with friends and relatives. We still have great expectations, many of which are fulfilled beyond anything we could have envisioned. We send you similar wishes for 2013 and 2014 – may your desires be fulfilled beyond the expectations you envision.
Oh Christmas Tree
Remember ‘real’ trees? Sure you do – the kind that smells so wonderful when you come into the house from outdoors – the pine or spruce or fir trees that we grew up with. Now most folks have artificial trees – even those of us who aren’t tree huggers – and here’s why.
- Real trees usually look much better on the hillside or in the tree lot than they do when you get them home.
- The trunk of any given tree doesn’t fit easily through the ring in your tree stand.
- After forcing the tree into the stand, you discover the tree isn’t straight, so you take it back out and saw off an inch or two.
- When you once again have the tree in the stand, you find that the knots in the trunk perfectly match up with the tightening screws in the stand, making it almost impossible to tighten the screws.
- When you finally get the tree into the house and place it in the best spot, you discover there is a bare place in the branches, so you find a wall or corner to use instead.
- Occasionally you find that the tree is two feet taller than your ceiling! Drat! Back to the patio you go! Where did you put that saw?
- By this time, you know the tree still isn’t straight, so you find a book to stick under one corner of the stand to balance it out, making sure it isn’t tilted so much that the water will spill out of the container.
- Oh yes, the water! Usually the branches are so low or the packages so high that watering the tree becomes an endless struggle. Sometimes the result is a dry tree or wet presents.
- In Texas we have ThanksChristmas. The tree goes up as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers are brought to the kitchen. With a live tree that means a month of watering and anxiety. Sometimes the needles start to drop around December 15. Charlie Brown would love the tree by Christmas!
- Also in Texas, the tree comes down by December 26. I haven’t seen a tree at the curb on the 25th, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one there.
We have an artificial tree. We like our artificial tree. I know, I know, it doesn’t smell as nice.
Only God can make a ‘real’ tree, but remember – He leaves them in the forest!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
Karen
2013