…the thankful heart
…will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings.
Henry Ward Beecher
2011… many changes, many challenges, many heavenly blessings.
Rachel graduated from Lewis and Clark College. She was home for the summer working at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, taking an online class to receive her TEFL certificate (Teacher of English as a Foreign Language) and studying for the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test). After a stop to visit Becky and Jonathan, she moved back to Chile in October. Reunited with Hector, she is once again negotiating Chilean culture and putting out lots of resumès. Her future is open: a situation both liberating and disconcerting. Of course we miss her lots and lots.
Becky and Jonathan are thriving in Washington DC. She continues teaching preschool this year while pursuing her master’s degree in early childhood education. Jonathan was thrilled to land his dream job as a programmer for Google in their expanding DC office! He and Becky visited us in June prior to his orientation in Silicon Valley and they will be back again for Christmas. We were lucky to also visit them twice this year, during Spring Break in March and again in October. Assisting “Miss Becky” with her class, touring the very cool Google office and just hanging out…great times.
Penny RETIRED in June!! After 34 years in her own classroom, she now divides her time between substituting for friends at her old school and…doing whatever she wants!!! It is pretty cool (and a little unnerving) to have so much freedom. Seeing old pals at her 35th Whittier College reunion this fall was a blast!
Kevin is our steady anchor. He continues managing church finances and coaching high school golf. He won his sixth Southern Oregon Championship in September and hit the little white ball with friends in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in October. The golf obsession is constant and unchanging!
Penny’s mom celebrated her 80th birthday in February. In July she returned to her beloved Ireland and brought along her friend Larry, Penny’s brother Nick, sister-in-law Kathy, Kevin and Penny. In September she celebrated the college graduation of two grandchildren by taking them to Greece. Rachel and her cousin Patrick had a ball with their Nannie right before Rachel took off for Washington DC and Chile.
Kevin’s parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in September. In February they moved to a cute apartment in a retirement community. In July friends approached the family about renting Mom and Dad’s house. Ten weeks later the renters moved in! The heirloom sorting, garage sales, cleaning, remodeling, painting: it was a whirl but we made it! Seeing a sweet young family settled in the beloved home has softened the bittersweet move and we are thankful.
We won’t be all together for Christmas. This will be the first time. Hector was with us last Christmas and this year his family gets to celebrate Chilean Navidad with our Rachel. Change is a certainty in this life, but so is LOVE.
With thankful hearts, we send you love, Penny and Kevin
