**************************
D
|
ear Family and Friends, December 2014
...The
virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him
Immanuel.
Isaiah 7: 14b
She
will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,
because
he will save his people from their sins.
Matthew
1: 21
For
there is no difference between Jew and
Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans
10: 12-13
How grateful we are
that God’s greatest Christmas gift of Jesus would be a gift available to all
people – Jews and non-Jews. But gifts
must be received in order for them to have personal worth. Receiving takes place when one believes in
Jesus. The gift is free but cost Jesus
his life – love truly amazing & humbling.
 |
| Christmas together in Richmond, VA 2013 - L-R, Stephen, 14, Constantine 3.5, Joanna 13(almost), Lydia, 10, Phillip, 15 |
Christmas 2013 was
spent in Richmond, VA at the home of our son, John, and his family. John continues with his Chick-fil-a restaurant at Tuckernuck Plaza and Diane teaches kindergarten at Veritas
School where all
4 of our grandchildren there attend.
With all children involved in school, sports and church, life is busy
and blessed.
 |
| Retirement party hosted by David & Deborah Rogers; joined by our 3 children |
January 8th was the
day John was celebrated for his 29 years of employment at the H.E.Butt Family Foundation.
Retirement had begun on January 1st. Having our three children join us for the
lovely luncheon and tribute event hosted by David and Deborah Butt Rogers was a
delight.
Our sons stayed on to attend a
men’s retreat at Laity Lodge with their Dad.
 |
| 3 handsome men at Laity Lodge together |
This first year of
retirement for John has been full – of learning and adjusting – and staying quite
busy.
Together we have traveled...
February/March
– road trip and visits to friends and family...
Stops
in Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee
July – wedding in TN of John’s
niece Late
September – 1st visit to the McDonald Observatory in the Davis
Mountains in west TX plus a few days in Big Bend National Park along the TX
side of the Rio Grande River. Both of
these stops were well worth the visits – hope to return someday.
 |
| One photo taken in Big Bend National Park - truly amazing scenery |
·
John’s
Dr. is very pleased with his positive response to the 3 Parkinson’s medications
he takes daily which control his tremor and allow him to continue doing all
that he wants to do without the addition of any new symptoms. John has added more regular exercise to his
regimen and now has the freedom to get added rest as needed.
Another highlight
of our year was to host the Chinese family of our dear friend, Gloria, whom we
had met in Moldova in 2011 but who has been studying at Vanderbilt through July
of this year.
 |
| Gloria with her parents and her cousin |
Her parents and a young
cousin came to join her for travel in the USA and we had the joy of hosting
them for 4 days in August. We had many
very meaningful conversations as we shared our home and some of our favorite TX
places. Gloria decided to remain in the
US and is working in a NYC law firm. A
trip to Moldova for us did not take place this year but that allowed us to be
available for Gloria’s family’s visit.
 |
| These men love snow and ice. Hockey started in Dec. for Cozzie |
Our son, James,
continues his life in Detroit. He is the
Administrative Assistant for the Director of the Charlotte
Mason School. He
and Constantine, age 4 ½, love the snow, ice and all seasons of Detroit. We will join them for Christmas week in
Detroit.
 |
| Sarah and I celebrate our birthdays together in early December |
Our daughter, Sarah, continues to
enjoy her job as the librarian at Fort Sam Houston Elementary School in San
Antonio, TX. She also is grateful for
her cozy home there and the enriching friendships she has with friends at Oak
Hills Church. She will join us for the
trip to Detroit.
Linda continues
part-time work as a Laity Lodge hostess also with the Foundations
for Laity Renewal. It is a privilege to have this meaningful
opportunity. This was the year a new
decade began for her and we celebrated the milestone while we were in Houston
that day. On our return, we stopped to
celebrate with Sarah. Having her nearby
allows a number of sweet connections throughout the year.
 |
| Taken at Blue Hole on the H.E.Butt Family Foundation property in Nov. 2014 |
We continue to
treasure our time together in Bible Study and prayer, being involved in our
church, community and neighborhood and giving to things we consider worthy as
ministries sharing godly truths and values.
We plan to stay nestled in Kerrville, TX and would welcome an
opportunity to have you come for a visit.
Connect with us on Facebook, follow the blog or communicate through email.
We look forward to hearing from you.
May
your lives also be full of God’s joy and blessing,
John and Linda Worden
No comments:
Post a Comment