Jimazing Thoughts…

It is Christmas Eve-Eve-Eve (or Dec. 22^nd) as I begin this annual newsletter. I’m anxiously awaiting a phone call from Erin to tell us what flight she and Justin will be on and what time they will arrive here in Charlotte. They missed a connecting flight in Dallas, so they are spending the day in the airport (Yuck). Jeanie and her sister, Cathryn and niece, Erica are shopping. Melody’s flight will bring her here tonight around 7^ish. Kathryn will be coming in on Christmas Eve. She has three days off from work, so we will enjoy having time for a good visit. Danae will drive up on Christmas morning. The Navy has decided that Mark’s duty schedule is more important than his joining us for Christmas this year. I don’t necessarily agree, but I am willing to defer to the Department of the Navy. My mom will be here Christmas Eve. Jeanie’s mom is not sure if she will make it or not because of car issues.

How did we get here? Our life was so different a year ago… Last year our “nest” was full. Now it is empty. This year Erin and Justin got married. Kat moved out and began life on her own in Asheville. Melody and Erin moved across the country to begin post graduate studies and Danae made major headway with her degree. Jim and Melody ran the Cooper River Bridge. And Jim and Jeanie are learning what it is like to be a couple again.

Erin & Justin

Erin married her high school sweetheart, Justin, in March. Justin has been a part of our family for as long as I have put together a newsletter. They lived in Raleigh for a few months, then moved across the country to Berkeley, CA where Erin is now in graduate school for Electrical Engineering. Justin is working for a legal self-help publishing firm and seems to be enjoying that. As you can see from this photo, he seems to have taken well to Berkeley life. Jeanie and I had a great visit with them in September. You can read more about that here and here. Erin publishes a blog where I love reading her thoughts about life. You can read it too.

Melody

Melody has finished her first semester of Medical School at St. Louis University School of Medicine. This has been a dream of hers for quite a while now. Jeanie and I helped her move by driving our truck while she drove her new, blue Hyundai. She is living in a nice, high rise apartment a few miles from school. We stayed a couple of days and saw the sites; went up inside the arch and visited the zoo. About a week after we returned, I went back to see her white coat ceremony. The white coat ceremony is where they present each student with a white lab coat that symbolizes their first step to becoming a doctor. The presentation was in the cathedral next to the campus. Everything about it was just beautiful. I felt in awe at the splendor of the cathedral. It reminded me of the old, ornate European cathedrals I have read about. I was so proud to be part of it. While I was there, we visited the Botanical Gardens too. It was a great time. (see photos of the trip here ).

Kathryn

In the spring of this year, our youngest daughter, Kathryn moved out on her own. Her heart has been in Asheville for quite a few years. Now her body is living in the same city with her heart. She is working for Dollar General stores and doing quite well. This year they sent her on her first real business trip. They needed her to help clean up a store in another city that was disorganized. The fact that they would entrust a job like that to her says a lot about her work ethic and trustworthiness. Kat has adopted a kitty who she named, Tag. Tag was a stray and Kat slowly befriended him by showing him that he could trust her. He gradually allowed her to get closer until one day he reached out and touched her.  As soon as he “tagged” her, he ran away, so she named him Tag.

Danae & Mark

Danae and Mark are still in Charleston, SC. She is making beautiful music at Charleston Southern University. I am so amazed at how much she loves school. It is difficult to return to college as an adult, but she is doing it. She has made some awesome friends. As the “old married lady”, she is a real mentor to some of them. The most tremendous thing for me, though, is to see her developing the talents that are so much a part of who she is. She is truly making the most of what God has given her. You can read her blog here.

While Danae is pursuing her degree, Mark is also investing in his talents. He loves working on cars and off-roading. He is in the process of transforming a Ford Bronco into a “rock buggy”. He is designing the layout and building a lot of it from scratch. It is quite impressive . There are some photos of the rock buggy as well as Danae playing the bass drum in this slide show.

Jeanie & Jim

Jeanie is continuing to help new moms and their babies as a nurse. This year, she changed her work status from part time employee to “prn” (as needed). This gives her a lot more control over her own schedule which makes nursing a lot more enjoyable for her. She always said that she loves taking care of the patients most of all. Now she gets to do just that. She joined her sister and niece and Danae for a trip to Disneyworld this summer. It made me so happy that she got to see Disneyworld and I didn’t have to.

What a great year. I could not be prouder of my family. The girls are all pursuing the things in life that make them come alive. What could be more exciting than that? In addition to all the traveling, this year, I am growing closer to a few guys and learning what it looks like to be a good friend. Strange that a guy my age is just figuring some of those basic life skills out.

I have been a little more consistent with writing on my blog. It still frustrates me how hard that consistency comes, but I am encouraged to see that this year I have written over 50 entries! One special blog entry that I want to point out is an exploration of why I write. Understanding who I am writing to and why I write has helped me tremendously to focus my topics. Maybe if you decide to become a regular reader, it will help you understand me a little better too. To subscribe, click the link on the right hand menu.

I am still working for Wachovia where I am continually amazed at the great people I get to work with. At work (and every other area of my life), I endeavor to invest in being a better and more skillful encourager. Life is great and I am so thankful to be right here, right now. Who knows where we will be in a year. Like always, the stuff that happens to us and the responses we choose will shape our lives. I pray that each day will draw us closer to becoming the people God has created us to be.