MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010
Dear Family and Friends,
I pray that this advent has been a time for you to prepare yourself for the Joy of our Lord’s birth. Just as Mary was pregnant with our Savior, Christians are to be impregnated with the Good News of our Lord and Savior. It is fun to give and receive gifts, but let us not forget that no gift other than Jesus can fill that deep longing within each of us.
This year has been much kinder to Charlie and me. In March, he was hired by Quest, a local St. Johns company that’s growing. He loves his I.T. job! As for our home improvement this year, we were either going to remodel the upstairs or add a four seasons room and a mudroom. We went with the later, which I call “THE MAN CAVE”. He designed it himself. I’m always impressed with all that Charlie knows and with the fact that I have my own handy man! The only draw back is that now I have more to clean! But it also means I can take my turn with family gatherings. I can hear my sisters and sister-in-law cheering at that!
Last Christmas, I wrote about my friend Annette Guild. She passed away on July 30th. I was privileged to be able to spend a lot of quality time with her. Have you ever been in the presence of a saint? Annette was the holiest person that I knew. She was usually in a lot of pain, but offered it up for souls. She loved Jesus with every breath. She said to me after she was done praying with me: “Know that you know God’s love for you.” I learned so much from my dear friend. I know she isn’t far and that she is praying for the intention I gave her before she died. She hasn't been this fully alive in such a long time, due to her fight with cancer. I can’t wait to see my friend in heaven.
Now I would like to update everyone on my nieces and nephews. Let’s begin with Linda and Chuck’s kids: Catherine is a senior at St. Johns High School. This is her first time going to a “real school”. When I asked her what she wanted to say about it, she said: “I’m going to the public school just to see what it’s like. I think the classes are too easy. I’ve found that I was very blessed to be homeschooled.” She got all A’s in the first trimester! She’s also had the opportunity to share her faith about Jesus and the Catholic Church with a student who started asking her questions. She is applying to colleges and thinking about majoring in French and English. Catherine is still involved in music at our parish. In 4 H this year, she won a rosette for her knitted baby blanket, received an honor ribbon for her piano performance, and her band won a rosette.
Jim is a sophomore this year. He and Matthew joined Boy Scouts. They both enjoy working on their badges. Jim still enjoys learning about herbs and raising them. He has become a big fan of G.K. Chesterton. He received a rosette for his piano performance at the 4 H Fair. He is also involved with singing at church. He was Confirmed this year and I was his sponsor. He chose Marion as his confirmation name in honor of our Blessed Mother.
Anna is a freshman this year. She raised a prospect beef again this year for 4 H and got 1st in Junior Prospect Beef Showmanship and second place in the Junior Showmanship Sweepstakes. Anna also enjoys singing at Mass. She is learning to knit and enjoys it. I’m always impressed with her willingness to help out and I know her mom is as well. She has a real servant’s heart.
Matthew is in 6th grade. He enjoys playing on the computer and playing sports. He and Maria continue to do their best at annoying each other! Matthew still greets me with a hug whenever I visit! He may like to tease, but he has a heart of gold!
Markus is in 4th grade. He joined Cub Scouts this year. He is a big reader and a big thinker. He enjoys playing on the computer, especially when Matt isn’t around. He also enjoys engaging others in conversation.
Maria is in 1st grade. She still enjoys dressing up and playing with her two cousins, Kelly and John. Her best sport is fighting and annoying her big brother Matthew. I still feel like a rock star every time Maria sees me! This too shall pass, so I enjoy every moment of it! She and Anna got to meet my friend Annette several times and were also touched by her.
Kevin and Rhonda’s Jennifer just graduated from MSU with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science. Next year she will either complete her student teaching through MSU or start a Masters of Education program through Notre Dame. She plans on being a secondary (middle and high school) social studies teacher. She is working with the youth group at her parish, St. Joseph’s. She recently got hired at Jackson National Life.
Rachel is a sophomore at LCC. She is thinking about majoring in Accounting. She recently left her job at LCC to accept a position for the State in the Lottery Department. When I asked her what I could write about her, she said her life right now is school and work, but she still finds time to hang out with her many friends.
Aaron is in 8th grade. He still loves his sports and anything MSU! This past summer, he was on a traveling basketball team called Mid-Michigan Magic. They traveled all over, even into Indiana. He is a guard on the 8th grade basketball team. He’s very good, and if it’s a tough team, he plays the whole game. He didn’t go out for football this year, because he said it’s too boring, but he loves playing basketball.
Brenda and Chris’s Katie is a sophomore. She was Confirmed last March and I was her sponsor. She took St. Therese of Lisieux for her confirmation name. I’m so impressed with her maturity and commitment to Christ. She goes to the youth group in Fowler and in St. Johns. She has adjusted well to High School and enjoys working on the plays as a set mover.
Dominic is in 8th grade. He really enjoys playing the piano. He likes to take a song and change it to make it his own. I have heard him play and he’s very good. He is also into coins. I recently took him antiquing with me. I have promised him that I will take him to a coin shop in Mason. Dominic loves Christmas just like my mom used to! Chris is leading Dominic’s Journey group, which prepares him for Confirmation. Aaron is also in Chris’ group.
Joey is in the fifth grade. He has Mrs. Carn (Amber Nobach) for his teacher. My mom used to babysit Amber. Amber loves Joey and told Brenda he’s so thoughtful and kind to the other kids. Brenda wasn’t sure she had the right kid in mind at first! Joey likes to read and is a very good student. He spends a lot of time on his homework to make sure it’s done correctly. He is on the fifth grade basketball team this year.
Kelly is in the second grade and she will be making her First Communion this year. She is still mom’s biggest helper. She actually likes to clean! She decided she wanted to play soccer this year, because all her friends said it was so much fun. Well, she is quite the player! I went to a couple of her games and all the fathers were always yelling her name and commenting on how she never stops! They called her a firecracker.
Johnny is in Kindergarten and well loved by a lot of the older students. The older kids say he’s a little Joey because they look a lot alike. He was having a problem with one of his classmates kicking him under the table, and he said, “I don’t go to school to be bullied.” He is still quite the charmer and always has nice things to say about others. Well, except his older brothers!
Charlie’s mom is home after a month stay in a rehab unit in Carson City. She loves being home with her cats, Rusty and Scooter. She has a caregiver come three times a week to help her. Charlie has been stopping over almost daily to make sure she is okay and that she has something to eat.
Well, another year has almost come to a close. It’s hard to believe how fast time goes. None of us knows how long we will have the gift of life. Many of us have had a friend or family member pass away unexpectedly. The older I get, the more I realize just how broken most of us are. We all have our “issues”. I have recently learned to love the little girl within me. We are as mature as the child within us is whole and Holiness is Wholeness. We need to be kind to others and treat each other with the utmost respect. You may be entertaining an angel without even knowing it.
I was able to go on the silent retreat again this year with my friend Mary Ellen. It is always such a gift to spend time with the Lord. Then on the first Saturday in December, Linda, Brenda and I went on an overnight retreat with the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Holy Eucharist. These are the Sisters that have been on the Oprah show twice. How does one describe this incredible group of Sisters? JOYFUL! They are so genuine and refreshingly honest. Their love for the Church and Christ are so evident and they are growing so fast. WHY? Because they are faithful to the Church and her teachings, and they don’t water down the Gospel message. God Bless and Merry Christmas.
Love,
Lisa and Charlie
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