Merry Christmas to all our Family and Friends!
We sincerely hope that all of you are doing well and that you are enjoying the blessings of God in your lives during this holiday season. What a special time this is for all of us as Christians. As we draw nearer and nearer to His return, it is a privilege to be able to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are grateful for all He has given us…much more than we deserve. Our health is good (although we are both seeing a little more around the mid-section these days); we still have jobs (which is saying a lot in this economy); we serve in a wonderful church that has a burning desire to see others come to know Jesus, in our community, city, state, nation and world; we have super friends that add to our joy; our girls are doing well and our granddaughter is simply our pride and joy AND both sets of our parents are alive and doing well.
My Mother and Daddy are both 83, and Norman’s parents are 86 & 82. Although they have each had some health issues, it is such a blessing to still have them around. My mother had an aortic valve replaced a year ago and after a pretty long recovery period, is out and doing well. However, she fell in October and crushed two vertebrae in her lower back and had to be placed in rehab. She was able to leave the rehab facility the week before Thanksgiving and continues to improve daily. Daddy is doing very well. He did not get to go deer hunting at his camp this year due to the high water, but did get to hunt on opening weekend in Blevins, AR with Mother’s cousin. Norman’s Mom has had a rough time of recovery from her shoulder and neck surgeries over the last two years. In fact she has had a total of three on her shoulder and one on her neck. Hopefully, this last one is going to do the trick. His Dad continues to do well, but is slowing down a little. At 86 he deserves to but believe it or not..he is still preaching each Sunday!
Norman continues to work in the ink business with Flint Ink Group. We are holding our breath that the cut-backs the company is experiencing will not affect him, but know it may happen in the near future. We also know that God is our provider and if He takes away the job we are confident He will provide another. I am still at Abundant Life School as the Elementary Principal. In August I began my 16th year there and my 14th as principal. I feel very blessed to have that position and I count it a privilege to work in a place with such Godly teachers and staff.
Alison & John still live in Conway…about 35 miles from us. She continues to work at Blue Cross & Blue Shield as an analyst. They have no children but are the parents of our grand dog, a cute little fellow named Gus. They are active in the Celebrate Recovery program of their church.
Andrea and Camryn live about 7 miles from us in Sherwood. She is still working for the AR Municipal League as a Claims Examiner in the workman’s comp area. Camryn is a second grader in Abundant Life which gives me the opportunity to see her on a daily basis. She is a very active and very smart little girl. She continues to dance competitively with Ms. Karen’s Dance Studio. This year she will be dancing in six different routines. It never ceases to amaze me how she can remember all those dances and get her body to do those moves!
I got the opportunity to go to Greece again this year with a team of ladies from our church. We went to work with the school age children of the missionaries who were there for the East European Conference and Retreat. The retreat was held on Aegina Island off the eastern coast of Greece. It was such a joy to work with the MK’s during the mornings and then have the opportunity to spend extended time with their families in the afternoons. We also got to visit the Acropolis in Athens and the ruins of Corinth while there. Seeing the places where Jesus and the apostles would have walked was an awesome thing. Norman works in our Kid’s Town program each week as Pastor Leon and with the Jr. High Trek Program on Wednesday nights. He is also working hard to complete his degree in Christian Education through a correspondence program from Trinity Baptist College. I use what little voice I have left singing in the music ministries of the church: Celebration choir, the church Praise Team and with Norman occasionally as we sing specials.
Well, that about catches you up on our lives.
We sincerely hope that all of you enjoy this “Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” As you are rushing around trying to finish up your shopping and then get to all the Christmas programs and parties, we pray that you will set aside some time to remember our Savior who was born in a stable those many years ago. Let’s not forget the reason for the season…Jesus Christ
Merry Christmas to all of you!
Norman, Alicia & Jacye
