Roseville, MN
December, 2002
Dear Friends and Family,
We have been writing these letters for some time now; in fact, since Tom was diagnosed with what turned out to be autism, which would be about 10 years ago. It was too difficult, then, to write individually in each card that our son was so damaged and the outlook was so uncertain.
It has been years of struggle and pain, and yet, we feel blessed that we have gone through it. It has made us better people and has brought us closer together. It has taught us a great deal about our faith and about ourselves. It has made us, and James, more understanding and compassionate.
This has been a good year for us. James has taken up karate and is working really hard at it. He also, this summer, signed up for a class in "Battle Bots"–those remote-control killer robots that fight each other. His team designed a mid-weight machine from scratch, all in about six weeks. He got to use all kinds of machine tools, and they had to work hard to figure out how to bring it in under weight. It was all very exciting. He is now in his second year at Roseville Area High School and is doing well there.
Tom was not in a good place for much of the year–his medication, as it turned out, was making him lethargic. We finally got that sorted out, and he is now much more lively and interested. He is also much harder to keep up with–he wants my attention all the time if I am around. Fortunately, we have good staff to help us with him.
I have continued to work in my garden, and that of my good friend Joan. I am also working on bobbin lace and other fiber arts, and have taken up sewing again. That brings me, in fact, to the single biggest thing that has happened this year.
On Easter day we went to church, and were delighted to discover, dancing down the aisle in the procession, six couples of 17-th century period-clad Scots. We asked around afterwards (some of them stayed for Mass) and discovered that they were part of a historical re-enactment group called Clann Tartan, and that they practiced at our church every week. Well, I must say, this was news indeed. We started dancing with them at once, and joined Clann in May.
Glenn has wanted to be in Clann all his life–he just didn’t know where it was. After all, we are talking about a man who made his own shield, his own pike, and his own jacket of hardened leather scales just because it was cool. Clann re-enacts the life of a military camp, complete with firepit and meals, pike drill, matchlock muskets, period crafts, and camp-followers (hence the dancing). We even have a small fort (a log cabin with a stockade) up near Duluth, built on a member’s farm. We go to as many events as we can, children permitting, but always to dance. The dance group is very lively and friendly (one of the friendliest groups I have found in 34 years of folk dancing--Glenn), and we are blessed to have found them and the whole group.
So, I have made Glenn a pair of period breeches, and I have started doing more sewing for myself–mostly fancy stuff, but I daresay there will be some more practical garments.
(Glenn here) I am also doing more woodworking now, almost entirely with hand tools. This fits in with the re-enactment stuff, but in any case I have neither the inclination nor the space for Norm Abram’s sort of shop. I was very involved in my Carleton College class (1972) reunion back in June (great fun!), and now find myself working on alumni affairs for the long haul. Oh yes—I am still working as a Database Administrator for Hennepin County, at the Government Center in downtown Minneapolis, and got a promotion (with a small raise) this fall. A business trip to Denver in January allowed me to see my mother, my brother Raven, and my brother-in-law Tom Reif.
I also learned to play guitar, and am now the proud owner of a modest Takesmine. I am still singing at church, and am broadening my folk repertoire. We are also both on the Minicon (a local science fiction convention) steering committee, so we are more than busy these days. It is all rather challenging and quite exhausting, but we are having more fun than we ever thought we would again in this life.
Indeed we are. Life is better than it has been any time in at least the last 10 years. We are grateful that we have come so far. May God bless you as we have been blessed, in this Christmas and in the year to come.
Go to Glenn's home page, or to Mia's. See our 2001 or 2003 Christmas letters, or the index of letters.
©2002-2004 by Mia F. McDavid and Glenn T. McDavid.