Thanks to our parents, Joe and I enjoyed memorable Christmases when we were children. Fortunately we both found wives with that same tradition and worked hard to see that our children had Christmas experiences to match ours. The tradition has survived at least one more generation. Last night Sara sent us a photograph of their beautiful Christmas village, overseen by a gaily decorated tree they had cut in the Rockies. In no time John and Beth reciprocated with photos of their trees. Their grandparents would be proud of them!
When Nan and I were first married, she wrote individual letters to a dozen or so close friends and family and enclosed them with the Christmas cards we sent. I did the same, although my efforts to customize notes left a lot to be desired. As our Christmas card list grew, the quality of my messages deteriorated. Eventually I reverted to generating a standard Christmas letter, with an opening paragraph tailored specifically to the recipient. Like so many other things, that effort has gone downhill since Nan died. I do have a special bond with the small group of people who read this column; you deserve a greeting of some sort. Therefore…
Dear Friends,
It is Christmas time again and I welcome the opportunity to wish each of you a happy holiday season. I am sitting in my favorite chair in my living room, listening to Metropolitan Opera Stars from the 1920s sing Christmas hymns while watching a fire dance on a pile of logs in my fireplace. We had a light snow today, the third so far this season – a really unusual occurrence. My concern about my declining mobility keeps me house-bound whenever it snows; fortunately Beth checks in on me frequently and fills that gap.
Prior to starting this letter I skimmed through the photos on my phone as a reminder of what I did this past year; I am indeed a blessed man. Trips to Colorado and California to visit Sara’s and John’s families, numerous Pittsburgh Symphony concerts, bi-monthly brunches with my high school friends interspersed with lunches with my brother Joe, many trips to Chautauqua, monthly meetings of the Book Club, fall festival trips, visits to museums, activities of the Bridgeville Area Historical Society – an impressive schedule for a doddering nonagenarian.
The happy times of the year were punctuated with three major losses. My wife’s favorite nephew David Maddy died in January. Although he had a difficult life, he was always cheerful. Sara’s description of David’s personality was “welcoming”. Very emotional scene at his gravesite when the bugler played “Taps” and the honor guard fired a salute. In April my brother Joe’s wonderful wife Pauline died. If there ever was “a marriage made in Heaven”, it was theirs. Wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister-in-law – she played every role perfectly. Joe has sublimated his mourning into a flurry of unselfish activity, all dedicated to helping folks in need. The final loss this year was my long-time neighbor and dear friend Larry Kennedy, in November, nine weeks shy of his one hundredth birthday. The founder of our Youngwood Road Book Review Club, Larry’s impact on everyone he met was unforgettable. I have done an admirable job focusing on celebrating the blessing of knowing these three remarkable persons; nonetheless their passing has left big holes in my heart.
I am fortunate to have Beth’s family relatively close. Beth has had a busy year managing the East Asian Languages and Literatures Department at Pitt, while still teaching a few courses. She is negotiating a contract with the Harvard East Asian Monograph Press for publication of her second scholarly book, which deals with the significance of “place” in Japanese Noh drama. Mike had a bad fall and shattered his left heel. Nonetheless, he soldiered on through, even teaching a class at Chautauqua on crutches. He has recovered sufficiently to be back flying. Rachael continues to shine academically at Bryn Mawr; she will graduate next June with a BA in Social Studies and a Master’s in French.
John’s family is comfortably ensconced in California, close to his office in San Carlos. Lai An is twelve years old, in sixth grade. They ski in Montana during her winter break, travel in Europe during the summer. Her current passion is fencing, a surprisingly popular sport in California. Victoria is a classic Chinese mother, dedicated to seeing that her daughter is exposed to a broad range of academic interests in addition to her regular school curriculum. John’s company appears to be prospering; they moved their corporate headquarters to Basel, Switzerland, and changed their name to BeOne Medicines.
Despite the long government shutdown and the loss of valued colleagues due to staff reduction, Sara (with a lot of support from Jim) has managed to navigate a difficult year cheerfully and productively. Thankfully the Department of the Interior program to preserve wild bison herds on Federal land is still progressing.
I was pleased to attend Ian’s graduation from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater. Since graduation he has had a wide variety of engagements and is busy auditioning for more. Nora is a Junior at Oregon State University, majoring in environmental sciences. We were delighted to have her (and Sara) with us at Chautauqua for a week in August. Claire is a Senior at Rocky Mountain High School, very active in choral music groups. At this point she expects to matriculate at one of the nearby Colorado universities next Fall.
As for me, I continue to slow down but am grateful that I can still function well independently. My health appears to be stable; that is a great blessing. I continue to enjoy scribbling down this column this week and sharing it with you. Thank you for providing me with this opportunity, and
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!