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CHRISTMAS BLOG 2013

As we have both about reached our three score and ten (plus ten), we can't help but reflect upon our lives. We ask ourselves “If we had to do it all over again, what might we wish we had done differently.” I (Don) would like to have received a better education, to have learned to play the piano, would to have liked to become fluent in another language,would have tried to spend time gardening with Barb and help more with the cooking, would have spent more time and effort being a better parent, would have made a better effort to tell my parents how much I appreciated them, would have done a better job of planning for our financial retirement, would have made a much more serious effort to try to help people more, would have taken daily walks with Barb and finally made more of an effort to help people build their faith on a firm foundation not related to experiences but based on convictions of the truth of the historical events surrounding the life, death and resurrection of Christ. (two of the saddest words in the English language are 'too late')
 

Then we ask ourselves “What would we like to do with the rest of our lived?” This is a bit harder to answer as we don't know what our health and general energy level will be.

We both work pretty hard a being good parents for our three kids and being good grand parents for our five grand children.

We share these questions with you as a challenge to you to examine your own lives.

The big event of the past year is the marriage on May 26 of our son, Tim, to Kelly

Grotke. They had a pretty big wedding as Kelly is an only child and it was the only time that her folks would be a part of a wedding of a close family member. She is from New York and is a on the staff of a high school working with special needs students. She plays the fiddle, mandolin and the piano. Tim plays the piano and the guitar and they treat the entire family to great music at family gatherings.

How do we spend our time? I spend hours on the computer, responding to email, watching the news (ug!), watching documentaries and movies of classic books on youtube.com and a little writing. I also like libre.com which is a site that reads out loud thousands of books. Progress on a book I want to write is very slow.

I have a small group of friends what I can count on to stop by for visits. I am usually home except for church and frequent trips to our daughters and the grandkids sports games. We continue to have a wonderful caregiver, Aaron, who comes in daily for about three hours and helps me with my morning routine and a hundred chores around the house. Barb runs many errands to the grocery store, the bank, the drug store, etc. She also looks forward the womens Bible Study Fellowship each Monday eve and her prayer group which meets every Monday noon. We continue to be a part of our monthly book club which has been meeting for over forty years.

Book suggest from Barbara:

Radical – David Platt

History books by Paul Johnson

Novels by Howard Spring

Please send us your book recommendations.

Our lives are bursting with gratefulness for our health, our friends and our hope in Christ. “In the world you will have tribulations but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.”

Don & Barbara Holmes

holmesdb@gmail.com

360-734-9648