Annual Christmas Letter

“I am not alone at all, I thought. I was never alone at all. And that, of course, is the message of Christmas. We are never alone. Not when the night is darkest, the wind coldest, the world seemingly most indifferent. For this is still the time God chooses.” Taylor Caldwell

I can’t wait for a new year. I’m done with 2007. I’m just tired of it. I want the New Year to ring in with all of the blessings that I can reach out and obtain. And yes, I’ll be reaching. This year brought both losses and gains in my life, just like in yours.

Losses

2007 got off to a rotten start when my eldest sister took ill and died within a week, before the Ides of March were actually here. Which, BTW is March 15 and she would have celebrated her 62nd birthday on that day. Shocking….it was just a sinus infection, but it developed into meningitis and we lost her. That one week was hell and the aftermath was hades. Truly, it was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. Sitting with her until she took her final breath was hard. Watching her two daughters struggle through it was harder. But, telling my parents, who are both in their 80’s, was the worst experience ever. I still tear up at the thought. I sang at the funeral. It was the closes I could get to saying my piece about my oldest sister. She was the one I looked up to and wanted to please as a child. The one I was growing closer too, year by year. Thank you Lord, for receiving her into your care. Knowing this allows me to bear it. I am not alone. The Lord is ever present. That is the message of Christmas.

But, grieving is an experience that makes you feel alone. No one can really explain it, except you know you’re doing it. It simply feels like loss. This will be my first Christmas without her. And, for her daughters…No mom for Christmas? The reason to go home is gone. My heart aches for them. There’s really nothing I can do but be there as an Aunt. My favorite Uncle also passed this year. I hurt for my Aunt Barbara and cousins. Let me remind myself that they are not alone. That is the message of Christmas.

I lost a dear friend this year. No, not to death but to evil. She went completely wacko. This is a friend of over 30 years. I really haven’t figured it all out, but I’ll blame it on the devil, menopause, chemical imbalance and selfishness. I never thought I’d see the day someone who walked a Christian life would be willing to give up her husband, children and grandchildren for the right to be right. Especially when it’s questionable as to how right she really is. She’s wrong too. This makes me very sad. I miss her, the old her. I wonder if she feels alone. I wonder if she’ll hear the message of Christmas.

I lost my only son-in-law of this year. Dan has been around for at least 15 years, counting the dating time. Divorce has its own pain. I can go along way as long as my children are doing well. But, when one of them is hurting, the mother bear with cubs comes out. Yet, I will miss him. He was a child of my heart by choice. I haven’t been too good at choosing to let him go. But, it’s really not my choice at all. It just is - what it is. I will just leave it alone.

I lost some family stability this year. A family conflict this summer surrounding my parents and siblings rocked my boat. I’m still reeling from some verbal blows. How long does it take to get over something like this? 70X7-yes that’s how often I think about forgiveness. I am thankful that I too, am forgiven. I must leave it alone and simply extend grace .

Three Beebe vehicles helped three deer commit suicide this year. I lost my favorite car to one such deer. I miss it. Yes, we replaced it, but it just isn’t my car. In fact it’s not a car at all; we replaced it with a small truck. Now, I like the truck, but again, it’s not my car. Thank heavens I was alone when I hit mine.

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. Agnes M. Pharo

Gains- besides a few pounds

I landed myself a new job. Someone actually saw enough value in me to pay me for my work. I usually work for free, all the time. I wasn’t looking for a job when this one found me. I’m coordinating a large grant for the Mt Pleasant Community Foundation. I’m learning a lot of new things, especially about people with disabilities. They have a language all their own. I’m meeting new people, I’m planning events, coordinating meetings and advisory boards. I’m growing and I’m having fun doing it. God has chosen this time for me. I am thankful.

I became secretary to the M.P. Rotary Club. (More free work.) But again, it’s enjoyable to me. I feel like I’m a part of a great charity that makes a difference world wide. I love the Rotarians. It was a stretch and learning experience to develop and build an entire website for the club. I update it regularly. I’m also proud of myself for chairing and pulling off a huge fund-raiser, the live Rotary Radio Auction. We took in around 17K, but I had to pay 3K or so for advertising etc, so profits were around 14K. Joelle and I went out and solicited tons of donations. Although it was fun, the most rewarding part of it was watching the Rotarians work together for a cause and pull the thing off. Being in Rotary makes me part of a group of intelligent, caring, ambitious, and diverse people. Check it out. www.mprotary.com

I started a blog. Sisters of satin. Something I’ve thought about for a long time.
http://sistersofsatin.blogspot.com/

I spent a lot of time with my granddaughter Leah. And, I became a grandma for the 2nd time when Susanna entered the world.

The Beebe’s went up by 3 against deer population, when all the hunters took at least one during hunting season. Both freezers are full. We have more venison than we’ll ever eat, so we can give away a bunch too.

· Bill is busy as usual, doctoring. He’s studying to take his national boards again in March. We’ll be headed to Denver then.
· Ainsley is doing well. She’s still teaching music at Novi Public Schools, but is looking forward to using her master’s degree in school administration in the near future.
· Bill and Hilary are doing great, as their family increased by one beautiful baby girl. Check out Hilary’s blog at http://beebefamilycircus.blogspot.com/
· Joelle is doing great. She lost 40+ pounds and looks absolutely stunning. She too hosted a fundraising auction and beat me by at least 10K. I think they raised 25K for their cause. She also blogs and is pretty entertaining. http://ramblingref.blogspot.com
· Jonathan is excelling at Ford. He had the opportunity to present a marketing idea to the president of Ford Motor Company, and, as a result, was offered a promotion in a new position in the digital marketing department. He now manages Ford's emerging media marketing, and his work can be seen on TV, in video games, Xbox consoles, The Sims 2, Web banners, mobile phones, touchscreen juke boxes, bus stops in 8 major cities, malls and some hotel chains.
· Leah and Susanna are the cutest and smartest grand babies in the world wide world. They are the love of my life and the joy of my heart. They make me feel young again.

Well, I suppose I’d better get some work done around here. I wanted to touch base, give the update and express my thankfulness and love to all of my friends and family. I also want to express my desire that you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It can only get better for all of us, right?

Christmas at our house is LOVE!

Love, Kathy

The Christmas Letter

My annual christmas letter is going out tomorrow. So, if you're on my card list, you'll get a version of the following blog. For those not on the list, here goes the long boring version:

Oh oh....I left it at my office, so I'll have to post it tomorrow. That's the way life has been lately. Just downright stressful. Tomorrow will be a better. I'm exhausted tonight. sos

Christmas at our house is love…..

I haven’t had a moment of time to write and update the blog. But, today I will take a minute. My favorite time of year, the Christmas Season is upon us.

Today I hosted a ladies luncheon at a local restaurant. My mind always runs in script form, like I’m watching a movie, so when I’m planning things, it’s always grandiose and all together lovely. But in reality, my dreams are very expensive, plus it takes a lot more work than it looks like in my mind. My parties never quite come across as beautiful, as peaceful, or as glorious as I imagine. Not that they’re bad. In fact, they are quite nice. …. But they never amount to what I had pictured. Yes…I do plan. I spend the day after Christmas shopping for next year’s ladies luncheon. And, I usually come up with a theme, a fun activity, and gifts for all.

But, I didn’t wear my Scarlet O’Hara party dress, I didn’t have an orchestra to back up my singing, and it was attended by around 20, not 200. (20 of the finest, I might add.) My Russian Tea Cakes were a pain to make, very messy, and one should never try a new recipe the night before they’re to be presented. I made Orange Cranberry Scones. Everyone knows they go with tea. Actually they turned out okay; it was the icing that screwed everything up. I had a vision of the nice big triangles that you get at Barnes and Nobel, but mine ended up being round circles with sticky tops. The room decorations were nice, but not Christmas gorgeous, like my buddy Martha Stewart would have.

None the less, it was nice, it was fun, but last night at midnight, whilst trying to get the icing to peak, I decided that this would definitely be my last year doing it. However today, after it’s all said and done, I’m already thinking about how I can top it next time.

My ladies appeased me by singing the lines they were assigned from the 12 Days of Christmas Song. Sorry girls….it was in the wrong key….but it was all in good fun. My story was a hit, (see pic of book above) and everyone received a tea-pot and tea cup with a saucer. All the ladies brought tea bags and exchanged them with each other.

I sang two of my favorite Christmas songs, “There’s a new kid in town,” and “Christmas at our house.” I did okay…not spectacular, but okay. I don’t sing much anymore. But I wanted to incorporate Jesus, the reason for the season, into the mix. I got my message across and I didn’t have to preach a word. I just loved them, blessed them, and had fun with them. No one was offended. Everyone was blessed. It was a warm fuzzy time.

So, all in all, the season is off to a grand start. It will be my first ever without my sister Joyce. And, it will be my first with my newest grand-daughter Susanna.

Things are not quite calm yet, but it's looking brighter.

sos