Xmas Letter '00

01/08/01

January 8, 2001

Hello Good Friends.

We wish all of you a glorious slide into the real beginning of the New Millennium. How can this be? How can both of our daughters be towering over me? Is it really time for Fiona to be looking at colleges? How life does fly by! We help it along by keeping busy. At one point this year, we had five different plays going on at once in our family. I thought about skipping this general letter this year, because it seems like it says just about the same thing. Only the names of the plays are different. I was going to write each of you a personal note, until I realized we send out 240 of these things! The good news is that we are blessed with so many dear friends.

Jillian played Queen Sultana in Aladdin and was a dancer in Peter Pan this year. She’s made some great friends at PYT and plans regular outings to keep up those relationships. This evening, she’s at auditions for a musical version of Anne of Green Gables. She’s in her 7th grade year at Hillbrook, deep in all the joy, confusion, and wonder of being a pre-teen. She played on the volleyball team and is now enjoying the basketball season. Boys are back to being good friends and even good partners at school dances and cast parties. Friends continue to be the most important thing in Jillian’s life. Everything has become more challenging, and life is good.

Fiona was Gland Hand in West Side Story at school and Rose in Bye Bye Birdie at PYT, almost at the same time. In the summer she had a wonderful experience playing the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, (one of her dream roles). Then in the fall, she played Mrs. Banks in her school production of Father of the Bride. At this moment she’s impatiently waiting for St. Francis to announce which musical they’ll be doing this spring. Among other projects, Fiona also assistant directed the school play, put together a Christmas musical review with some classmates, played Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, and is making plans to produce and direct a series of one-act plays. Probably the biggest project on her horizon is choosing a college. We’d love to hear about your college experiences. Was your school big or small, personal or impersonal, great reputation or quietly excellent, far from home or close by? Oh, there are so many things to think about. Please tell us your stories.

Hank performed in several dinner theater mysteries and played bass in Bye Bye Birdie. He also understudied J.C. Squires in SDG’s production of The Music Man. He and I both helped rewrite and direct The Magic of Disney at Hillbrook during that time when we had five plays going at once. He’ll be playing Van Buren, the guy who sings “You Gotta Have Heart,” in WVLO’s Damn Yankees. He’s still coaching track and cross country at Lynbrook and loving it. His running is going well, and he’s taking good care of himself so that he can keeping running as long as possible. One of his favorite moments happened when he finished first in the Moonlight Run 10K, not just first old guy, but first overall! He can still break a 5 minute mile and run a 10K in under 35 minutes.

I’ve been doing all the same things … Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, singing, little moments of painting. One highlight this year was putting together an “Andrews Sisters” trio with two great singers, plus a stunning combo that included my talented husband on bass. I still spend a huge amount of time supporting everyone else, driving sometimes a hundred miles a day, making costumes, painting sets, going to bat with teachers, volunteering here, there and everywhere, and trying to keep this big house running. Friends with grown kids remind me to savor every minute of it, so I do. I also make sure I find time to keep up with friends, and I keep myself sane with lots of reading, especially books on tape while I’m putting all those miles on my car.

We’re looking forward to another year enjoying pretty much the same things. One goal is to continue to strengthen our family in every way, praying and trusting that those bonds will remain unbreakable as our first child prepares to go off on her own.

Sadly, Hank and I both lost parents this year. My mother, Helen, passed on in February after a very long struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease. My dear friends and family came out in force to help me through all of it and to send her off with a lovely memorial service. Hank’s father, Spencer, was taken by cancer just last month. It’s hard to believe this strong man, who always had things under control, could be overtaken by anything and that he’s gone. Both memorial services provided opportunities to get together with family and strengthen bonds. We are reminded to treasure each day and each person who is dear to us.

	We certainly treasure all of you.  May God keep us faithful and make our paths straight.  

Love,