Sunday, and the Christmas Letter
We’ve had a good day, but very quiet, for the most part. We didn’t
try to go to church. We slept late, and went to Kroger around 11. We picked up
hamburgers on the way home, and had a good lunch after we unloaded groceries.
After much debate, Alesia won the coin toss about what movie to
see and we saw Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie. It was hard to
follow the plot, and I really didn’t like Daniel Craig, the new Bond. He’s not
attractive or suave, like the other Bonds. He just seemed pissed off and
brutal. The plot was convoluted, too. If I can find a minute I’ll write a
review.
I sent my annual Christmas letter today, by email. There are a lot of folks who don't read my blog regularly, but do communicate by email occasionally. I have 5,000 cousins, all over the US. Anyway, thought I'd share the recap.
Christmas Letter,
2008
Hello –
2008
has been quite a year.
Right
after Christmas last year, Bruce came in for the holidays and astonished us
with the news that he was being re-activated into the Army. He had last been on
active duty when Clinton was president. Things were rather weird for a while,
as he trained at Ft. Benning in January and February, and came to Atlanta to
see us most weekends. He said he was impressed with the new army, but it was
disconcerting to salute a guy who was not born when Bruce first went in the
army. He definitely felt his age there, for a bit.
Mother
and I prayed hard, of course, that he would not be sent to Iraq, but he was. He
viewed it as an adventure, which was a good attitude to have. He has been in
Baghdad since early March, in the embassy compound in The Green Zone, spending
a good bit of time behind a computer. He is in a war zone, but not doing much
running around and getting shot at – at least, we don’t think so… He was able
to come home for a couple of weeks in November, and we were able to have a good
visit with him, although he spent part of the time visiting friends in Columbia
and Statesboro. We will miss having him home for Christmas, but he should be
back in the USA sometime in late January or early February. We hear from him by
email almost every day.
Another
early 2008 happening of note was that Michael starred in a video, about
adoption of special needs kids. Adoption Ark, the agency I used to adopt
Michael, presented copies of the video to adoption officials in Kazakhstan. The
aim was to educate them on the fact that a lot of Americans are happy to adopt
special needs kids, and the kids get along just fine. Hopefully they will make
more special needs kids available for adoption. The irony is that nobody who is
around Michael for any length of time views him as “special needs” in any way.
I rarely even think about the limb difference he has. He does whatever he wants
to do. Anyway, if you look on YouTube and search for "Adoption Ark
Michael", you will find the video. Over 3,000 folks have viewed it, and
hopefully been inspired to broaden their thinking about adoption and limb
difference kids.
In
May, we went again to Myrtle Beach, and stayed at Kingston Plantation, which is
a wonderful place for kids. We were able to visit with the extended family in
Myrtle Beach, and it was a lovely, relaxing time.
In
July, Michael went to the Adventure Amputee Camp, which was recommended by his
therapist. He was very anxious about being separated from us from Wednesday
until Sunday. However, he had a wonderful time. It was so good for him to be
able to spend time with other kids with limb differences. He was able to swim,
ski, do a ropes course, climb, and play tennis. He liked tennis so much, he won
the camp tournament. When he came home, I was able to sign him up for lessons
at the courts which are just down the street from our house, and he was asked
to be on the neighborhood tennis team. The team won the city championships.
Michael is doing super well with tennis, and it’s great exercise.
Michael
and Alesia both love to ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, and play
videogames. They spent time at the neighborhood pool nearly every day last
summer, and both are excellent swimmers.
We had
a good garden this summer, with a bumper crop of tomatoes. I am trying to
compost this winter, and build up the soil, plus I am working on a bed on the
side of the house, which I hope to plant in just melons, next summer. As much
as I resisted yard work and gardening as a child – I used to say I’d never live
anywhere that I had to do yard work - I now love to grow flowers and
vegetables. It sort of fits that I work at Home Depot, huh?!
In
October, we were able to get away to the mountains for a long weekend. We have
friends in Asheville that we try to visit every year or two.
Michael started school this year
in the 4th grade, but we soon realized he could handle higher level
work, and he was moved up to 5th grade, where he has done well, with
some extra help. He now reads on grade level and has made tremendous progress.
He has had a lot of help from his grandmother, and she deserves a great deal of
credit for having the patience and the perseverance to help him every day. He
also has a wonderful ESL teacher at school. Alesia is also good about helping
him, and does so willingly.
Alesia has had some health
problems this year, but we have been able to work through them. In the spring
she was diagnosed with gastritis, after suffering through a bout of H Pylori [a
bacterial infection of the stomach]. She now takes medication, and has few
stomach issues. In the fall, she was plagued with migraines for several weeks,
but those have subsided and she is much better. She still has bouts of car
sickness, but nothing major. She is strong and active, but stress does have a
bad effect on her sometimes.
Alesia had a tough time adjusting
to the demands of high school last year, but this year she is doing much
better. She has a better understanding of how to manage her time, and study for
tests, and the teachers are not so tough. She is enjoying studying Spanish, and
has a good time in that class. She has a lot of friends at school. She reads on
12th grade level, and she is a skilled artist. Lately, Alesia has
started making beaded jewelry. I am hopeful that by next summer she will feel
ready to learn to drive.
I have kept busy with family activities,
but I do some writing whenever possible. I try to write The Crab Chronicles
every day. I also contributed some pieces to a website called Adoption Under
One Roof. This fall, there was a profile of Michael in the ACA [Amputee
Coalition of America] magazine, In Motion, relating to the difficulty in
getting the insurance companies to fund prosthetics and therapy for limb
difference kids. I presented a program at the ACA Convention last summer, for
folks interested in adopting limb difference kids. I submitted an essay to an
anthology about mothering multi-cultural children, and that book will be published in the spring. So, I stay pretty busy.
I am pondering a follow up to my
children’s book Jack’s New Family, to help kids and parents see how adopted
kids get along the first year at home after they are adopted. The only problem
is finding time to write.
Mother is turning 75 on December
31st, and we are planning a party to celebrate. It’s hard to believe
she has lived ¾ of a century, but I’m getting close to the half-century mark
myself, and I think those are milestones to celebrate. Instead of having a leisurely
retirement, Mother is active in helping me with the children, and my best
friend. She is also as sharp and funny as ever.
I am very concerned about the
economy, and the many issues we read about every day. I have friends and family
members who have lost their jobs and I worry about them, and pray for them. It
seems like the whole world is in a precarious place right now. However, I feel
sure that we will weather these storms, and we will come out stronger in the
end. I have a great faith in God, and this is pretty much my mantra: “God’s plan
is exactly what we would want for ourselves if we knew all the facts.” Amen.
I hope you and your family have a
blessed and safe holiday season!
Dee
