Christmas

In this year of uncertainty and tragedy, we are more aware than ever of how precious and wonderful is our connection to you, our friends and family. September 11th affected all of us: nation - community - family; deeply, and the standard "what we did this year" form of a Christmas letter seems odd and out of place. And yet, there is still Life, and we go on living, even in the midst of the pain and confusion. Somehow, even the small things of daily life are more significant, and offer a comforting reassurance. The colors of life, seen through the lens of September 11th, seem deeper, richer, and somehow more vibrant than before.

We find reassurance and comfort among our cats - furry little therapists who ask no questions, listen carefully, and purr to ease sorrowful hearts. Tarli was the best at this task, insistently "purgling" her way onto a lap or planting herself on your chest. We are saddened and diminished by her loss in June, as she succumbed to a weak heart and probable cancer. The rose we planted in her memory is called "Remember Me"; we surely will.

We continue to watch the health of the others carefully, knowing they are all advancing into kitty senior citizenship, and hoping to help them live long and vital lives. Health troubles plague a few: Kalice is still coping with diabetes, and her weight, though still too high, is slowly (ever so slowly!) coming down; Oscar started the year out with some hypoglycemic episodes, which led to a discovery that his diabetes is in remission. (I didn't know cats could do that... wow.) He is now anemic from bone marrow suppression, a probable effect of his FIV, and also has early stage kidney disease. He keeps astounding us though, with his "Energizer kitty" life... he keeps going and going, and going... Luke, and eventually the whole gang, caught a kitty cold in May, which kept me hopping with administration of antibiotics to combat secondary infections... quite a challenge to keep straight who was on what, for how long, and when! Geordi's heart enlargement has progressed, so he now gets to take a pill for that twice a day (more fun for me!); he doesn't seem to mind too much. Marlena, Graysi, Marmalade, Arielle, Eli and Tsuni remain healthy and active, amusing us with their funny little ways.

Doug and I continue to serve in our various positions at church, filling several evenings a month with committee meetings or choir practice. I am the Lay Member to Annual Conference for our church, as well, which has been an interesting experience for me, especially this year, when two pastors in our Conference have openly admitted their homosexuality. This fall we began a Youth Group at our church; weekly meetings keep us pretty busy, but energized as well. I continue to volunteer on the MS Walk planning committee for Tacoma, participating in my third year on the committee, and fifth year on the Walk.

In June, Doug, my brother Don and I went to Ohio and Pennsylvania on a visit of family and Dad's old stomping grounds. Don called it the "Anna Hanson Heritage Tour", as I was also trying to work a bit of genealogy research into the mix. We visited Amherst, Ohio, with Uncle Jim as our guide to all the old haunts, regaling us with tales of his and Dad's mischief in younger years. Dipping toes in Lake Erie, we listened to stories of dances and submarine-race watching... (hmm, we have that out here, too!) We saw such famous landmarks as the ditch where Uncle Jim got his dad's car stuck, (and which Dad tattled about!) and the various streets where Uncle Jim "used to date a girl on that block". Of course, the main joy was in driving around and listening to Uncle Jim's stories, living them through his memory, and imagining Dad as the tattling little brother. A topper to the visit was catching an Akron Aeros game, where we enjoyed the abuse Uncle Jim heaped on the Aeros' pitcher. We wrapped up our stay with a visit to cousin Kay Gray, whom we had not met before. Wonderful to share pictures and hear stories of her mom (our grandmother's sister), as well as our grandmother and grandfather. In Pennsylvania, we had treasured moments with Aunt Lucy, cousin Bob Clark, his wife Chris, son Jonathan, and cousin Polly Tekampe. Bob and Chris's two daughters were away at a camp, so we didn't get to meet them. I took advantage of the time to "pump" Aunt Lucy for stories of the Ginsburg and Gilliam lineages, poring over pictures together and comparing notes. Don and I relived a childhood game with Bob and Polly one night on a walk after dark: called "Hide from the light", it mainly involved hiding from headlights of passing cars. It was fun to be silly like that again! As always, our visit passed all too quickly, leaving us wishing for more time together.

In July, Doug and I left for a week in Whistler, B.C., celebrating our 20 years of marriage with time in a vacation condo there. We had a marvelous, relaxing stay; bike rides around the village supplemented casual walks and shopping, with an occasional lounge at poolside to top it off. It was very refreshing to not have anything we "had to" do.

We needed the energy stored up from that vacation for the week at Junior High Jive at Ocean Park; we were volunteer staff in that ministry for the third year, with Blaine and Jon as co-deans, Tammy as camp nurse (Helloooooo-NURSE!), niece Kristen as a small group leader, and niece Lauren as a camper. I had the privilege of serving with our nephew Clinton, as co-small group leaders. (Smurf Bruthas, need we say more?) In addition, one of the campers was from our own Bethany UMC; Kelsey Hooper, daughter of long-time Short family friend Sharlene (Kaufman) Hooper, became our honorary niece at camp, with Doug as her group leader. Wonderful to see the ways God keeps us all connected!

Many have wondered if Doug is affected by the recent Boeing Co. layoffs; we are thankful that so far, it looks as though Doug's job is secure. Working on the AWACS surveillance plane project will keep him busy for years to come, especially after September 11th, unfortunately.

I treasure times to gather with family, sharing stories and renewing our bonds. I am helping to organize a reunion of the descendants of Solomon Louis Ginsburg, my great-grandfather, planned for July 2002. We will reconnect and meet new faces, and see some wonderful sights together at the Grand Canyon.

While working on this letter, our Oscar Meyer Madison Sweetheart finally succumbed to the health troubles he's battled for the past four and a half years, dying peacefully Sunday afternoon, December 16th. We will remember our Ol' General with love, and cherish the memories of his gentle spirit.

In this season of holiday hurrying and party plans, it can be easy to lose sight of the reason we go to all the trouble we do. We were reminded of what is truly important in September, and the One whose birth we celebrate will surely see us through whatever else we face. May you feel His presence in your hearts this Christmas, and know the joy of gathering together -- at Home.

Love,

Anna and Doug

and

Kalice, Luke, Marlena, Arielle, Graysi, Geordi, Eli,

Tsuni, and Marmalade