December Memories

A happy December at home in Oregon, 1982. All the children except our newborn baby.

Christmas Message

A Christmas card message from someone who has a real gift for heartfelt written expression.  And funny, too. Warms our hearts.

Merry Christmas!

     Wishing you many blessings, this Christmas and always - 

I like how this year's photo page turned out, and it's nice that we're "all on the same page."

Yesterday I was feeling blue, missing everybody, including my own mother, and thinking of Christmases past. But today I feel happy and grateful.  It's been a wonderful, blessed year. All the dear ones on this page, they are my treasures.

June 2016, with some of our dear grandchildren. What precious darlings, each of them. They have our hearts.

My Brother Ray

in Monte Carlo recently, photo by Urs

We are all very sad. Our brother Ray is really ill. So glad and thankful he had wonderful visits in Austria and southern France just a couple of months ago, thanks to Ursula's help. Glad for the happy time, and the wonderful memories and pictures.

He is upbeat and cheerful, as he has always, always been.
Michaela is in Alberta with him now. Glad for that, too.
I'm  thankful I was able to talk with him on the phone a week or so ago. "I love you, Ray", I said.
He said, "I love you too, Angie."


And this photo below is from last year, when Michaela and Ursula met up with Ray and some of his family in Edmonton.

Postcard from France

Postcard from southern France:

Bonjour! Having a great time! Hope all is well with you.   Love, moi

                                                                                                                Photographer: Simon

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On Saturday the 12th, we visited St. Guilhem-le-desert, a stunning medieval village and abbey not far away. Jeffrey came, too. 

Inside the ancient stone church I lit a votive candle, heaven knows our world needs more light, and whispered a little prayer for our country, and its governance. The election this week and the months leading up to it, have made me/many citizens sober and thoughtful. What can I do, to reach out?

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace on earth. Where there is hate, let me sow love; where there is doubt, faith in thee.   (from "The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi")

I was very impressed with an article on the last page of the BYU College of Humanities magazine, in 2016 sometime, I think. It's an excerpt from a talk originally given in Washington, DC on 11-13-2012.  I copied some of it out. It is entitled "The Act of At/one/ment - Reconciliation vs. Divide",     by Thomas Griffith:

"Notice Satan's tactic in the Garden of Eden story. Satan was trying to divide Adam and Eve from each other. Dividing people from each other has been Satan's signature through history. He divides us by gender, race, religion, nationality, wealth, and the list goes on. By contrast, the work of Christ is reconciliation, at-one-ment. 

Wherever we see efforts to bridge differences, we are likely seeing Christ at work." 

[Then he talks about learning the language, culture and world-view of another.]

"We are more comfortable when we are 'with our people'. But this is not the Lord's way.  The impulse of the disciple is not division, but at-one-ment."    etc. 

Wasn't it yesterday ...?

 December 1998                                                                                                                                                          

He was our first precious grandchild.

For his second birthday, I made him a little "book" - laminated photo pages on colored paper, and held together with a ring.

"I like to open and close doors", "I like to eat spaghetti", "I like to read", "I like to play the piano", "I like to talk on the phone," etc.

"But most of all, I like to smile".  Aber am liebsten tu ich lächeln.

Today is his birthday, and now he is eighteen years old. EIGHTEEN!  A bright, kind, already well-traveled young man, and a loving brother, son and grandson. We are so pleased and grateful for how well he has grown up. He has great parents and siblings.

                      HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICKY!  WITH MUCH LOVE.


P.S. When he was little, he loved Winnie the Poo. So we're sending him this book - a good little gift for the boy who is currently the #1 Latin champion of all the high schools in Canton Zurich.

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For all of you who love the French language, including moi

French Words to the World

      The linguistic bequest to the world has been indispensable. What sort of romance could be conducted without a tête-a-tête, a rendezvous with the right ambiance, a frisson or two, some badinage, the odd nuance and some risqué repartee?
      What sort of war could anyone conduct without sabotage, maneuvers, many and frequent mêlées, bags of esprit de corps, a little espionage, liaison and ultimately détente?
      What sort of poise could anyone achieve without being suave and soigné? What sort of political excitement could there be without coups d'état, laisser-faire, fait accompli, volte-face and carte blanche?
      How could we show we were out of our milieu if we couldn't make gaffes and faux pas to show that we were thoroughly gauche?
      What would we eat in a restaurant, buffet or café without casseroles, fricassées, hors-d'oeuvres, soufflés, vols-au-vents, escalopes, consommés, pâtés, terrines, éclairs, croissants, omelettes, gâteaux, mousses, sauces ....?
      And wouldn't everything be passé were it not for the avant-garde?

 From "The Xenophobe's Guide to the French" by N. Yapp and M. Syrett