My Annual Christmas Letter
My Annual Christmas Letter
Here is the December 2008 Update!
Anna (age 29) and Neal got married on September 20th and it was a wonderful wedding (and I didn’t have to do a thing but show up!) We are thrilled! Anna has inherited a wonderful family – and so have we. She continues to work as a pharmacist and Neal as a dietician. Neal loves to cook and knows how to fix and build things. Heh?!
Tom (age 26) will have returned to Korea to teach English, by the time you get this Noel note. (He may have gone and come a few times – by the time I get this letter printed and mailed.) It’s neat that he can speak conversational Korean! He has learned that if he gets his Masters, he may be able to teach English at university in Korea. Me, I want for him employment-wise what I want for everyone – meaningful, well-enough paying work with a benefits package. So far, three out of four of our kidlets seem to have that. Phew!
Carolyn (age 23) is teaching English in Korea at a public school, through a wonderful company – www.asknow.ca . It was a full-time job for Laur and me to get her there – but well worth it. She teaches English to children in grades three to six – and she loves her students. She has a wonderful apartment with a couch named Phil, and is able to stay in touch with her on-line buddies, on-line of course!
Elaine (age 20 on January 2, 2009) is in second year university time-wise, but first year credit wise. It takes her twice as long to do most things – but given that her mother took 17 years to get her first degree, even if it takes her 8 years to get a 4 year degree – she’ll be twice as fast as I was! She still works part time at Tim’s. Elaine and her dad are going to visit Tom and Caro in Korea in January.
My mom (Grannie) Marj and step-dad Cecil Anderson celebrated their fourth anniversary in September of this year. They are doing very well. It helps that Cecil makes supper (they eat at Northway’s and Tim’s), does the cleaning (thank you cleaning ladies), and the yard work (thank you lads.) Mom is in charge of breakfast (thank you Quaker oats), transportation (thank you Auto Club), and entertainment… Suffice it to say that when we had a pre-Christmas with them in early December, they slipped upstairs for an hour or so on Friday night. Something about enjoying their Heartbeat… Hmm.
Laurence (1953) continues to have a job at Laurentian University in the English Department and is still chair of Waters Mennonite Church council until February end. He is on sabbatical from January to June – and I have great plans for this lad. However, he has already served advanced notice about all the papers he has to write, trips he has to take (what a hardship,) and books he has to publish for Your Scrivener Press. I never take “no” for an answer, so Laur has learned how not to hear the questions / demands.
I, Jan (1957), continue to be involved in a variety of things. The inscription on my gravestone should read, “I said I’d do what?!”
I am still lay preacher and pastoral care visitor at All Peoples United. I am so very grateful for my small church family. Our informal motto is “We’re still here!”
My ministry partner, Irja Coe, and I continue to visit folks from All Peoples who are no longer able to attend church due to health reasons. My new ministry partner (there can be three in a partnership) for Random Act of Flowers is Sarah (Walsh) Clubbe – daughter of my favourite chaplain – Pastor Bob Walsh. We visit people in Nursing Homes who don’t get many visitors or who are having a difficult time adjusting or who are just plain having a bad day. We deliver some 40+ vases of flowers, cards and newsletters. We also bring “plushies” for people with Alzheimers or folks who want a ready gift for their grandkids.
Due to budgetary decisions, my hours have been cut at Laurentian University Student Services – I’m down from four days to two days per week and only the weeks the students are here. No spring / summer hours. At first I was really sad – I thought I was “set” for employment until I retire from paying work.
But, you know the saying, when life hands you a lemon, make Limoncello - “an absolute natural product acquired by the infusion of lemon skins in pure alcohol.” (No, I’m not running a still in my basement – unless cat hair ferments!)
So, I decided my educational task was to learn to make websites and I now host three of them:
www.smallthings.ca
www.free-sermons-and-worship-help.com
www.basic-counseling-skills.com
And I’m writing an article/short story once a week for Soo News: www.soonews.ca/blogs.php YIPPEE!
My spring-summer project to fill in the two days of non LU employment is to put up a site “Great Jobs for Arts Grads” since this is a concern very near and dear to my heart. If there are further cuts, then I will have to go out and hock my social work / counsellor wares again.
Other things I’m up to: a) Curves, b) writing letters for Amnesty International, c) making the Pet Therapy newsletter; and as ever d) my Pound work.
Our pet population is as follows. Dogs: Pudge,border collie; Trotsky, shih tzu; Mercy, golden retriever. (And occasionally Decker – a story in itself.)
Cats: Amitié, long haired, bob-tailed calico; Memkin, very fat silver tabby; Kyba, Elaine's big black and white cat; Bowie, Caro’s white with tabby; Big Cyndi, a Maine Coon mix who is really a boy; and Jag – a large black and white cat who thinks he’s a washing machine (lick, wash, purr). My heart was broken when Honey, a dilute calico, was hit by a car and had to be euthanized. It’s funny how one can be friends with hundreds of cats in any particular year, but be devastated by the loss of a particular one.
I won’t even try to list the fostered cats we having milling around our place right now, thinking they are adopted. But you can see them at http://www.smallthings.ca/default.asp?id=1686. Beatrice is especially sweet, in case you are interested …
We have two goldfish in a ten gallon tank on our kitchen counter. Might as well, I sure don’t use it for cooking. (The counter, not the aquarium.) One is Charlie (or Charlene,) who Caro had to leave behind, and his/her new friend Angus (or Agnes. If you know your NDP MPs, you’ll get the joke.) I still run fish tanks at the school but will re-move them when I get MY STORE...
My what?! Yes, I want to open a shop called “Small Things” which will feature books by Northern Ontario authors (ahem!), artwork on the wall, handcrafts, and flowers. Ideally, I will find a partner to person the store three days a week, and me the other three days. My goal is to make rent – and if I make an income of any kind, that’s bonus. And naturally I will have fostered store-cats (or kittens) looking to be adopted, and the occasionally old lunk of a dog.
What does Laur think of this, you ask? He says, “What? I can’t hear you! ... That’s better! ... You want to gel my looks and get some of the brat out of my spouse? ... Try again!? ... Oh, sell my books and get some of the cats out of the house? ... Why didn’t you say so the first time!? ... Geez Jannie, you don’t have to yell! ”
Spring / summer is always a good time to visit – as we usually have a bed-sit available in our home. Bring earplugs.
Vaya con Dios! (Go with God!)
December 16, 2008