Christmas greetings, We love this time of year. It’s a season to celebrate, a season of family, a season of friends, a season of neighbors, a season of joy, and a season to share.
This year’s letter should be one of our best and we would love to share some laughs with you. I’ve been off work for eight months…so I’ve had ample time to think about the content. Of course, those of you who are familiar with me know that I only report facts as I see them. The substance comes from family antics and the events of life.
Lora, our baby, no longer eats strained vegetables. My wife tells me that Lora actually stopped that about twelve years ago. How time flies. Lora seems to be very talented in music and the arts. She can play most anything by ear, which differs from playing with the ear. Either style is extremely difficult and the later somewhat painful.
Lora and I attended a writer’s workshop together. I was thrilled to see that she had an interest in writing. I told her, “Someday I’ll be old and senile and somebody else will have to carry on the tradition of this Christmas letter.”
She replied, “Dad…you are already old and senile.”
Sara is a senior. We finally have something in common. She’ll have her special senior moment sometime in May, while I may have a senior moment at anytime. Sara has a beautiful soprano voice. She is excited to be singing in the mixed ensemble as well as having the honor of a solo appearance at the Christmas concert. I’m excited that she’ll be able to save me money some day by singing at her own wedding.
Eric has launched out on his own. He rented a house with some friends. They have everything they need to survive. An X-Box, cable television, daily delivery service from Pizza Hut, and room air fresheners.
Ryan and Carissa still live in Harlingen Texas. If the human body represented the state of Texas, then Harlingen would be the hemorrhoid.(It hangs way down on the bottom) He feels much like an illegal immigrant. He’s half a foot taller, a few skin shades lighter, and speaks English… which is a foreign language.
Rita made the news this year. She hated for a hurricane to be named after her, because she didn’t want her name to be associated with massive destruction and chaos. I thought it was appropriate and pretty much described a typical week at our house. Interestingly, hurricane Rita was followed by a hurricane named after her sister… Tammy.Which, in real life, when you find one, the other is not usually too far behind.
As for myself, it has been a year of medical struggles. It has nothing to do with trying to get into medical school. I was injured and eventually had to have a neck surgery.
I also had other body parts, which seemed to mal-function at different points through out the year. As a result, I’ve been thoroughly inspected from head to toe and have been certified by the American Medical Association as a true “freak of nature”. During the six-month process I had four x-rays, three MRI’s, two hospital visits, and a partridge in our pear tree. (It was actually a wild turkey, but I’m trying to maintain the Christmas spirit.)
Having a surgery on your neck is sort of…in a word…terrifying. It doesn’t help when the surgeon lists the possible outcomes. He started by listing the minor problems or complications. He said, “You may experience a runny nose, a mild sore throat, headache, or constipation.” I could live with most of those, but then he continued. “You could however experience loss of feeling, more neck pain, partial or total paralysis. Then of course there are also more serious problems such as death.” At that point I’m thinking if I’m dead the only one with the problem will be the surgeon, cause if I’m dead then I ain’t paying.
Actually, I did worry about many things and some he never mentioned. I had a fusion done. The surgeon used a bone fragment that I assumed he purchased at “BONES R US”. I failed to ask specific questions about that procedure and therefore had no idea how it would affect me. I think that addition to my spinal column made me about an inch taller. I have reason to believe that the bone came from an English man, because I have started talking with a slight British accent and I often have urges to pause for afternoon tea. I have much to be thankful for, because the bone could have been donated from a French woman. No telling what I might have experienced under those circumstances. I’d probably hate America and want to occasionally wear a dress.
I was confident in my surgeon’s abilities. I researched and asked many questions before I made the decision to use him. I knew I had made an excellent choice, because when I met him he was wearing his “I’m a good surgeon” T-shirt. I was further encouraged when I saw his huge library of medical reference books, which included the best seller “Spinal Surgery for Dummies.”
I would highly recommend my surgeon. I seem to be making excellent progress.
He was very satisfied with the procedure. I’d say it was a success. The surgeon was able to buy a big screen television on his way home. I was able to regain movement and most of the numbness I had experienced in my left arm and hand subsided.
On a more serious note, the time away from work has been very difficult. It is stressful and I do not yet know what the future holds. At times we agonized over how to pay our bills. On the other hand, it has also been a special time. Rita had for years prayed that I would have more family time at home. Now she prays that our family can endure my time at home.
When a person under goes a period of severe sickness or injury it tends to soften their heart. I have experienced that tenderness. I think perhaps we all have that soft spot, but, as we get caught up in our day to day struggles, we become hardened.
I’m more aware of the needs of others. I’m more in touch with family and friends. I’ve been able to refocus on the important things of life. I’ve wasted so much of my life on the insignificant.
How high you can stack your possessions or how far you can stretch your money does not measure a person’s success in life. It doesn’t matter how many friends you’ve made or how many job promotions you’ve had.What matters at the end of your life is how short the distance is between you and Christ. How do you measure your life?
May you have a very merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!
Love,
Mark & Rita, Ryan & Carissa, Eric, Sara, Lora
If you have enjoyed this letter please feel free to share it with a neighbor, family, or friends.
