That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord’s glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.” Luke 2:8-12 CEV
Dear Family & Friends,
The year of 2008 began with some apprehension in our household. Perhaps like the shepherds we did not know what was in store us. Although after 2007 we had every reason to be optimistic. Indeed God has answered our prayers and watched over us in 2008.
A milestone was the completion of Mary’s active treatment for cancer. By early May weekly, if not daily visits with a host of doctors have changed to quarterly scans and meetings. Thus far all of the scans have come back clear. The cancer that clouded much of the last year has retreated. Mary has delayed any reconstruction until the summer of 2009, when we will, with God’s help, have had a year of clear scans.
In early June the whole family traveled to Addison, New York for the wedding of my oldest nephew, Chris. Mary and I drove up with my parents while the girls flew in for the wedding. We got to spend time with much of my family. The wedding was a wonderful affair punctuated by a running of the cows during the fireworks that night. You had to be there to truly appreciate it.
In August Mary and I attended Haiti Partnership conference in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition to the conference we spent a few days looking at lighthouses of the South Carolina and Georgia coast. Then in late September we got the chance to take a lighthouse cruise off Cape Cod and spend most of a week in northern Maine. While not at their peak the fall leaves were lovely. We also got spend some time with our dear friends Gail and Charlie Black while in Maine. In all we put about 2,000 miles on our rental car during that week.
Both Sarah and Rebecca are living at home. Sarah is at a new school and making progress toward a Masters in the Art of Teaching. She continues to substitute teach in middle schools (6th, 7th & 8thgrades.) We are hopeful she will graduate by this fall and be able to get a full time teaching position. Higher education is about to do us all in. She is also very active in the children’s ministry at Buckhead Church in Atlanta. Rebecca is now a driver for Papa John’s Pizza. As she says, she is paid to drive around in circles. No small feat given the overall quality of drivers in our area.
We thank God for our many blessings. We wish our friends & family a Happy Healthy 2009.
Michael, Mary, Sarah & Rebecca
Add Thoughts by Mike to your feeds.
