Christmas 2023 Year In Review

As we start to wrap up 2023, it is good to look back and remember the experiences of the past year. Our family has had plenty of joyful moments but also some somber ones. Both remind us that every day is a gift from our Lord and that he is with us in the sorrows as well as in the successes.

This year we said goodbye to two of my family members: my Aunt Joyce and my grandfather. Granddad died just three weeks shy of his 100th birthday. It was harder for me to preach his funeral service than I had anticipated, as a lifetime of memories hit me all at once during the funeral homily.

Also challenging for us has been some health issues in our family. Calvin was just diagnosed with Celiac disease. We're grateful we finally know why he's been having so much stomach pain. And now we are learning how to adjust to a Gluten-free diet. Heather continues to bravely deal with Friedrich's Ataxia. She was involved in an exercise clinical trial at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, so we made two different trips there with her. We were so encouraged to meet Dr. Lynch, one of the leading FA doctors in the country. He has given us much more understanding and optimism in dealing with this rare disease. And Heather has now begun taking the new FDA-approved treatment for FA which we hope will slow the progression of the disease for her.

In spite of these health challenges, we are grateful to have also had many wonderful memories. Caleb graduated from UCO and started teaching Algebra at a local high school as he prepares to apply for Law School next year. After a year at OBU, including surviving a tornado there, Heather has transferred to UCO and is living at home. Quentin keeps himself occupied with basketball, already playing on his third team in the same year, and loving it. He is now in the 6th grade and has also started playing some golf, and got baptized in November. Calvin is a 4th-grader. He played baseball this year as well as soccer. Both boys placed in the top 3 of their school's "Speech Meet" in the Spring. They definitely are not shy, and they ensure our home is filled with plenty of "soundtrack" to keep us all upbeat.

Mindy continues to work on her Bachelor's degree from Mid-America Christian University. Along with writing papers and reading her assigned texts, she stays occupied studying classical pedagogy, hanging out with her friends, volunteering as the 1-3 grade children's teacher at church, and substitute teaching in OKC public schools. Ask her for her views on education sometime. I dare you! Mindy also enjoyed
attending a reunion at the Christian camp in Louisiana where she spent 7 summers working before we got married.

My highlight from the year? Well, I still get chills saying it: the Texas Rangers are World Series Champions! Caleb and I went to Opening Day and were also together celebrating on baseball's last day, a life-long dream come true!

A highlight at church was a combined service our church had with True Vine Church in Spencer. It was a memorable preaching experience there, as the pastor of True Vine told me, "Every white preacher needs to have a chance to preach in a black church." 

We also did some light traveling for fun. We took a Route 66 Spring break trip and took our summer vacation in Colorado. Mindy and I got away to Houston and Galveston Beach for our 23rd wedding anniversary and spent a couple of nights in the fall in the quaint Oklahoma town of Medicine Park. We traveled to Osage Beach, MO for Mindy's family reunion in November.

And of course, that is just some of the highlights! So much happens in just one year. But we are grateful for every single memory and for the privilege it is to be alive in God's world together.