Christmas Letter 2021

We have read that as the brain ages, it is good to try new things. This year Diane started carrying a backpack on airplane flights, placed our humidifier on a different stand, and we left our artificial Christmas tree up all year long, decorating it with flowers for spring, shells for beachy summer, and leaves for falling Autumn. One out of the three new things worked without a hitch. Sadly, the new backpack caused Diane to forget her needed purse, so we missed our originally scheduled Thanksgiving flight; and the new stand for the humidifier wasn't level, so our much used and needed humidifier broke. 

A pooch's entrance into the 2021 family photo creates a stinky stir
We will continue to try new things again and again, because the never-ending Christmas tree was definitely an emotional plus. And even though COVID 2021 didn't play out the way we overall expected, we were still able to enjoy memorable and highlight times. There were good and "stinky" happenings, like our stinky 2021 family picture (because of a pooch's unwelcomed pungent poot). 


😓😑😍                    2021 Memorable Times

1    2    3+    Facetime reads with Middle Little September 2020 through March 2021,
                     and Calico Critters baking times with Youngest Little

1    2    3+    Walks at a nearby State Park, trips to Philly and the beach

1    2    3+    February Larson-6 (or siblings-6) Zoom call

1    2    3+    Weekly FB Messenger calls and texts with sisters

1    2    3+    Neighbor times (back porch & front yard chats, Longwood Gardens, gardening)

1    2    3      A Grand birthday party missed due to COVID (no flying January through May) 

1    2    3      March's no ill-effects COVID Vax

1    2    3+    April's train trip to DC, perfectly time to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms

1    2    3      Supporting health-failing 87-year-old Aunt Bettye and her death. Her funeral was
                    July 1st, with a memorable 10-day stay, first at Diane's sister’s house
                    and then at the Grands

1    2    3+    Kids first visit to our home in July

1    2    3+    October's Missouri visitor, who met us in Trenton NJ for a fun lunch and
                     we visited historic Washington's Delaware River Crossing

1    2    3+    A later-October combo OKC business trip/visit with our OK kids

1    2    3+    Early-November's stunning nephew wedding

1    2    3+    Fun Thanksgiving family times (with a 1-year-old, still adorable grand puppy)

1    2    3      Jeff's widowed, very healthy Mom loves her 2021 decision to move
                     to an assisted living facility, with good food and social activities


Teacher-turned-Researcher Jeff frowns upon people giving more than one response for most survey questions, but sometimes you just gotta. Missing our youngest Grand's birthday was sad for Diane but alright, because Amazon provided Wonder Woman to put a smile on her face. Diane does miss Brave Aunt Bettye's weekly calls, but also treasures fond memories with her. The journey of "holding her hand" over the phone through some tough months is an experience Diane will never forget. We know that in the end she longed to see her son in Heaven. 

Jeff continues to work his opportune American Bible Society job. He has been blessed to work productively from home (stateofthebible.org) for almost 2 years, without either of us going crazy 😂. Diane is still retired and walks and walks and finds reasons to write. She thinks about working at nearby Target but would miss her current flexible hours ...like extra time she needed to create things like "Joe (not Biden) on the Go" (Joe is a doll fashioned to resemble Joseph the earthly Father of Jesus). Joe on the Go provided Diane and others creative FB photo ops (those with no children or pets at home). Plus, Joe provided opportunity to walk through the Bible to reveal how amazingly wise Joseph was, especially during Christmas Story moments (that were stinky, at times; the stable, for example).

2021 family picture fun

    Merry Christmas to our family and

    friends! You are the ones helping us

    through COVID times. You are the

    reason we are hopeful, too, for 2022. 

Love, Jeff & Diane 

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