First, I want to Thank anyone who has dropped by to
read my posts. It does make it feel like it was worth taking the time to research
and to share my findings as well as my stories.
I am not a Christmas card person; I have never been
one to send them. I have cousins, my aunts, my in-laws, and my mom who were
great at sending cards. They would always include a little of their family
history as a letter tucked inside or feelings of love written on their card. Those
I kept and put in their history. This will be my Christmas letter (inspired by
Carol over at Reflections from the Fence to do so).
Christmas has become a bit sad for me as the older
generation has passed. No one to share their memories. My sweetheart went home the
morning before Christmas Eve. It does make for bittersweet memories. My heart
goes out to those experiencing the feeling of mixed feelings of gratitude for
those they have lost and sadness of not having them with them.
A bit of my history with Christmas Cards, it was my
mom’s thing. Even in the world of her dementia, she found joy in Christmas. Her
eyes would light up as the carolers would sing the Christmas songs. It was a
ritual that I would bring a box of cards so she could still sign her name and a
small thought, sometimes just “I love you”. She really remembered who she was
sending it to. I loved that moment of respite from her usual feelings of anger.
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| Mary Langley 2017 |
Now, for a bit of my year… My family of 6 children and
31 grandchildren (before my brother-in-law says 31! I will insert, I have
gotten to know my daughter’s two stepchildren and love them too) keep my busy.
Aine went to Rome with her husband in March to see the new Church of Jesus
Christ’s Rome Temple. I watched her 6 children still at home. I should say 5,
the older two work. The youngest is a nonverbal autistic. I was apprehensive at
first because of the miles apart and only seeing him maybe once a year the
relationship would be considered thin at best. I didn’t have to worry, the
older boys assisted in watching him and sometimes interpreting for him. The
best part was going to his therapy sessions and learning what they have been
doing for him. He has a device that he can choose feelings or words to
communicate. He was just starting, but now he is getting better at using it to
express himself. That is exciting. They are getting along fine. I was glad to
have been able to spend some fun time with Savannah. In August she left on her
mission to Denver and is loving it.
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| #LighttheWorld #givingmachine |
Just before I was to come back home, Emily developed
problems with her 7th pregnancy and ended up being life flighted to
Salt Lake City for emergency care. Her sweet husband and 6 children were all
sick, recovering from the flu. I was glad I had extended my stay with Aine, and
that her husband could delay my flight back for a month. The trip down to stay
with Emily was not uneventful. My daughter’s windshield wiper went flying off when
she turned it on for the snow, to protect the windshield we had to scavenger in
the car to find something to go over the loose metal end. We found a stray sock
one of the boys had left in the car to fasten over it. We had to travel a good
distance to get to a town to get a new wiper blade. My daughter Christina flew
up to assist with the sick children and spend time with Emily when she got
home. Emily scared us all. All turned out well, I came back home when she was
strong enough and she had a cute baby boy about a month later. Scary spring. Tory got glasses AND braces... big deal for her.
Christina has kept my year hoping. She has the 4
younger children at home and the 4 older ones are making it on their own.
Amadeus will leave this coming January for Rexburg, Idaho to go to BYU Idaho.
Willie started school this year, and Jamie has started therapy to help with his
emotions and coping. I am not expressing that well and it is a story for her to
tell. I will say the trip the three of us took up to see the new baby and go by
and see my granddaughter leaving on a mission was the hardest I have ever
taken. Lexi was baptized. It was a mixed emotion event, excitement that she was being baptized. Sadness because her Grandfather Whitworth just passed away. The funeral was before the baptism.
Edward is doing well. His oldest daughter left in September
to go on her mission to Cebu. Marian took her on a trip to New York just after
she graduated for her graduation present. My cousin has fallen in love with his
son and told him, they would steal him in a minute. I am glad my children have
my family to love on them too. The girls are busy performing, playing instruments,
and sports.
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| Cebu, Philippines |
Sarah has had a rough year, that looks like it
started off slow and is finishing great. During her husband’s lay off they tried
doing Uber Eats. It was not what they had been led to believe it would be. He
now has a nice job that enables them to be home much more. Her oldest boy is
now 14. He and the baby who is 3 are fast buddies.
Sean is with a new company and is enjoying working
as a foreman on new plumbing construction in Austin, Texas. Downtown Austin is
not a favorite of most people to work in and not for him either. He does love
the work especially when they do work in historical buildings. He has even
worked in the capitol fixing stuff. This fall I went up and he treated me to a delicious dinner at a restaurant that had outside tables with heaters. Fun.
I am president of the Montgomery County Genealogical
Society in Montgomery County, Texas for another year. It has been challenging
because of finding a place to meet that was consistent. We have, with the help
of a stalwart member, fixed up the office that is ours to accommodate holding
our meetings there so it will stay the same place. I have been working on a
project in my FamilySearch mission to document preserving stuff. It was
supposed to be my mom’s and aunt’s family stuff I was given, however, it turned
out I was entrusted with a stranger’s stuff to preserve that her family did not
want. I had to digitize and categorize pictures, papers and charts. (okay, I just
about cried when I found the big box of pictures, especially that she took to
time to identify and keep them in family categories. I am in awe of her professional
work. Just so sad it was in a trunk in a garage that no one knew of.) I am
writing about it and adding what I can to FamilySearch and uploading pictures. I
will entrust it to the Society I am president of when I get finished.
With that, I will say Merry Christmas and wishing
great blessing for all,
FranE
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