Merry Christmas! Love and cheer to everyone this holiday season. We actually had a pretty good year in 2025 – one that has us feeling blessed and grateful.

This October, we celebrated our 40^th wedding anniversary!!! And I’m wondering, where did the time go?? When we vowed to take each other for better or worse, we embarked on a journey, and what an amazing journey it’s been! After all that time together, Pete is still at the very top of my gratitude list. I love that man to the moon and back, and I truly consider him to be a gift from a kind and loving God.

We’ve had some very good news on the health front. (Knock wood.) Pete has been getting CT scans every three months since he went through his chemo and surgery in early 2023. For two years now, his scans have been coming back “unremarkable” (no signs of recurring cancer). I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for this – both to God and his amazing oncologist! We did have a bit of a scare at the beginning of this year when Pete’s immunotherapy treatments started going after his kidneys. Thankfully, that situation has been brought under control, at least for now. His oncologist has been practically ecstatic as he expresses cautious optimism about Pete’s prognosis.

Besides the great news about Pete, I received some good news of my own this month: I was finally able to have a cardiac ablation in the fall for an arrhythmia problem that had been going on for years and leading to occasional scary trips to the ER. I’ve had a heart monitor implanted and at my follow-up appointment in early December, my cardiologist said I’ve had no episodes of either SVT or A-fib since the surgery. I continue to participate in my cardiac rehab exercise program and Pete has joined me. We are even pretty much sticking to our healthy eating plans prescribed by the rehab program’s dietician.

After what seemed like an endless siege of homebound isolation lasting until mid-2024 – first because of the pandemic and then because of our health issues – we’ve been able to return to in-person church services and get-togethers with family and friends. This year we even started eating out at restaurants again, though we choose places with outdoor tables or, when the weather is cold, times when a restaurant is relatively empty. And we’re up to our eyeballs in volunteer commitments. In other words, our lives have begun returning to normal. For a long while, I wasn’t sure that would ever happen.

Our involvement at church keeps us quite busy these days. For the past year, I’ve been serving as congregation vice-president and began my first term on the church council. I continue to chair our congregation’s community service committee and do my part to help keep our church’s micro pantry filled with food. Pete has been chairing the faith formation committee and co-facilitates our Dwelling in the Word Bible study group that meets after the church service each Sunday. And Pete and I are about to begin our fifth year of leading Sundays@6, an adult faith formation class which meets on Zoom. The group has about a dozen regulars who “attend” each week and the discussions are quite lively.

For our third year now, we’ve been involved in an anti-racism committee created by our community’s Dominican Sisters Associates program. The group, which meets on Zoom every other month, brings together people of different races to discuss how to recognize and address racism both in ourselves and in our society’s institutions. Participating in this group has been an amazing learning experience and we’ve been honored to be part of it.

We also continue to participate in spiritual direction with one of the Dominican Sisters. Spiritual direction – for those unfamiliar with the concept – is a partnership in which one Christian helps another grow in a personal relationship with God. Monthly one-on-one meetings have involved examining our prayer life, our personal values and various lifestyle choices. Another amazing learning experience for both of us!

On a very sad note, we had to say goodbye in August to our beautiful Queen Elizabeth after having her with us only eight months, due to complications from a heart condition. Lizzie came to us from our local cat café just before Christmas last year and captivated our hearts immediately. She fit nicely into laps, loved begging for treats, purred loudly while cuddling in bed with us, and had an irrepressible personality. I know some people shy away from adopting an older pet, especially one with “special needs.” But we would do it again in a heartbeat. Our little “senior” brought us so much joy. She was definitely one of our blessings, even though our time with her was so heartbreakingly brief.

The good news is, our little Brycie – whom we adopted at the same time we adopted Elizabeth – is thriving. For the first several weeks, Bryce disappeared into a pile of boxes in Pete’s office and seemed most comfortable when he was hiding. We took to calling him Sir Bryce of Boxington Manor and were advised by friends that we should let him get to know us at his own pace. Now, though, he has gotten completely bold and has made the house thoroughly his own. He loves to cuddle with us in bed, begs for food when we sit down for meals, sits in my lap when Pete and I are watching movies or podcasts, and loves to scamper at a high rate of speed around the house at 3 a.m. Hence, his new nickname “Scamperpuss.” We love the little bandersnatch.

Here’s hoping everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year full of grace and peace!

This past year, Pete and I have been truly blessed.

As most of you know, my husband has been battling Stage 4 cancer for two years. In November, Pete’s oncologist pointed out that his every-three-month scans have been coming back “unremarkable” (translation – no signs of recurring cancer) for at least a year. This means his immunotherapy treatments appear to be working, and even better, with minimal side effects. The doctor was practically ecstatic as he expressed cautious optimism about Pete’s prognosis.

Besides the good news about Pete, I received some good news of my own earlier this year: My cardiologist said tests show my heart sustained only minor damage from the heart attack I had in December of 2022. I continue to participate in cardiac rehab, and Pete has even joined me for the exercise portion. He has the honor of having been accepted into the hospital’s Stay Fit exercise program for both pulmonary and cardiac rehab. (Ah, the joys and perks of old age! We get to have Medicare pay for our fitness workouts.)

So, 2024 has given us a blessed reprieve from the ring-tailed monster of a year we experienced in 2023, thanks be to God, and life is slowly returning to … dare I say it? … normal. In other words, we have a LOT to be grateful for this year.

On a very sad note, we had to say goodbye in November to our lovable, ornery, beautiful Champaign Le Chat. Champie was a “rescue kitty” we adopted from the Animal Protective League shelter 17 years ago, but there could be a definite debate about who rescued whom. He was such a sweet little buddy to us as we endured our roller-coaster medical saga. We often referred to him as our furry little comforter. He had us utterly wrapped around his paw and we loved him SO MUCH!!!! We are SO grateful to have had him in our lives for so many years.

Here is one of my all-time favorite photos of our little Champster, which I like to call “The Prince and the Pea.” He was definitely one of our blessings.

After what seemed like an endless siege of homebound isolation – first because of the pandemic and then because of our health issues – we’ve been able to return to in-person church services and get-togethers with family and friends, and we’re up to our eyeballs in volunteer commitments.

We’ve committed to help keep our church’s micro pantry filled with food we either buy with generous grant money or pick up from food drives conducted by various civic groups around the community. This year, I took on the role of chairing our congregation’s community service committee, and I’ve been asked to serve on the church council beginning in 2025.

We’re about to begin our fourth year of leading Sundays@6, an adult faith formation class which meets on Zoom. So far, we’ve covered subjects ranging from the 10 Commandments to evangelism to how our faith should impact the way we address current issues. The group has about a dozen regulars who “attend” each week, and the discussions are quite lively. We absolutely love this group, and it has played a vital role in keeping members who are homebound connected to our congregation, including ourselves until May of this year when Pete’s oncologist finally let us come out and play with the other kids.

For the past two years, we’ve been involved in an anti-racism committee created by our community’s Dominican Sisters Associates program. The group, which meets on Zoom every other month, brings together people of different races to discuss how to recognize and address racism both in ourselves and in our society’s institutions. Participating in this group has been an amazing learning experience and we’ve been honored to be part of it.

We also continue to participate in spiritual direction with one of the Dominican Sisters. Spiritual direction – for those unfamiliar with the concept – is a partnership in which one Christian helps another grow in a personal relationship with God. Monthly one-on-one meetings have involved examining our prayer life, our personal values and various lifestyle choices. Another amazing learning experience for both of us!

For several years now, we’ve been working to make our yard an urban sanctuary for wildlife and turn our flower beds into a welcome center for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. We try to add a few native perennials each year, as well as planting an abundance of annuals and avoiding lawn chemicals. I’ve found gardening to be therapeutic, and the yard is looking beautiful! Pete and I like to think of this project as “God’s work, our hands.”

And … just in time for Christmas, the Animal Protection League has allowed us to adopt two new little blessings. The gorgeous “tortico” (a combination of torti and calico) is Queen Elizabeth. The handsome yellow guy is Bryce. We met them at the Cat’s Pyjamas Cat Café, a new business in town with lounges and refreshments for people who want to relax by petting cute kitties. Their cats are all adoptable through the APL. We’re sure these two will make our house theirs before too long.

If the past couple of years have taught us nothing else, they’ve taught us to appreciate the “boring” days we used to take for granted, or even complain about. Sometimes there’s nothing more wonderful than an uneventful day. No distressing symptoms. No rides to the emergency room in the back of an ambulance. No test results with nasty surprises. Just laundry, vacuuming, groceries, church committee meetings and other soothingly routine activities. 

I’ve been blown away by Pete’s extraordinary strength and courage as he has plowed through chemotherapy, major surgery, hospitalizations due to infections and other complications, and finally, immunotherapy treatments that are working so far. And now he joins me for my cardiac rehab exercise program at the Prairie Heart Center twice a week. He’s also been a great “therapy skunk” for me, coming with me to my medical appointments and backing me up when I need a doctor to take me seriously or answer my questions.

We are both beyond grateful for the mountain of get-well wishes and prayers, the delicious meals sent to our house when we didn’t feel like cooking, the cat photos and baby goat videos and bad puns posted to our Facebook pages to cheer us up, and the many other things our wonderful family members and friends did during our “walk through the valley” to help us feel supported and loved. The steady stream of prayers, cards and visits helped us more than people know.

Here’s hoping everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year full of grace and peace!

The past year at our house has been … eventful.

Pete was diagnosed with bladder cancer in October of 2022 and I had a heart attack just before Christmas of last year. So we’ve spent much of 2023 juggling doctor appointments and making some major lifestyle changes. Whoever said aging is not for the faint-of-heart wasn’t kidding.

I’ve been blown away by Pete’s extraordinary strength and courage as he has plowed through chemotherapy, major surgery, hospitalizations due to infections and other complications, and finally, immunotherapy treatments. The good news: The oncologist assures us the cancer remains treatable, and so far (knock wood!) the side effects from the immunotherapy have been minimal. A major milestone was Pete “ringing the bell” when he finished chemo.

Meanwhile, I’ve spent the past year doing cardiac rehab therapy, trying to fit more exercise into my schedule and working at eating healthier food. The heart attack was definitely a wake-up call – I’ve decided my dietary habits and sedentary lifestyle need some serious revision.

We are both beyond grateful for the mountain of get-well wishes and prayers, the delicious meals sent to our house when we didn’t feel like cooking, the cat photos and baby goat videos and bad puns posted to our Facebook pages to cheer us up, and the many other things our wonderful family members and friends have done to help us feel supported and loved. The steady stream of prayers, cards and visits have helped us more than people know. Everyone’s continued prayers are especially appreciated!!

And we love this sign, which we make a point of driving by when we’re on our way to appointments.

One of our goals has been to keep our health issues from completely taking over and dominating our lives, and we’ve been at least moderately successful in this regard.

We continue to be involved with our church. Because of the immunosuppression caused by Pete’s cancer treatment, we’ve been “attending” Sunday services online and participating in committee meetings via Zoom. (Pete’s been joking that his immune system is a welcome mat for every contagion that comes along.) We miss being there in person! But we’re finding other ways to contribute our time and talents to our congregation.  

Our church built its own micro food pantry a couple of years ago. About the size of a large kitchen cabinet, it sits in a well-lit area next to the sidewalk leading up to one of our front entrances. People can safely access it 24 hours a day, seven days a week, no questions asked. We love the idea, so we’ve committed to help keep it filled with food we either buy ourselves or pick up from food drives conducted by various civic groups around the community.

We’re about to begin our third year of leading Sundays@6, an adult faith formation class which meets on Zoom. So far, we’ve covered subjects ranging from the 10 Commandments to evangelism to how our faith should impact the way we address current issues. The group has about a dozen regulars who “attend” each week, and the discussions are quite lively. We absolutely love this group, and it has played a vital role in keeping those of us who are homebound connected to our congregation.

For the past year, we’ve been involved in an anti-racism task force created by our community’s Dominican Sisters Associates program. The group, which meets on Zoom every other month, brings together people of different races to discuss how to recognize and address racism both in ourselves and in our society’s institutions. Participating in this group has been an amazing learning experience and we’ve been honored to be part of it.

We also continue to do spiritual direction with one of the Dominican Sisters. Spiritual direction – for those unfamiliar with the concept – is a partnership in which one Christian helps another grow in a personal relationship with God. Monthly one-on-one meetings have involved examining our relationship with God, our prayer life, our personal values and various lifestyle choices. Another amazing learning experience for both of us!

For several years now, we’ve been working to make our yard an urban sanctuary for wildlife and turn our flower beds into a welcome center for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. We try to add a few native perennials each year, as well as planting an abundance of annuals and avoiding lawn chemicals. We’ve found gardening to be therapeutic, and the yard is looking beautiful! We like to think of this project as “God’s work, our hands.”

Our lovable, ornery, beautiful Champie has been such a sweet little buddy to us as we’ve survived this roller-coaster of a year. We often refer to him as our furry little comforter. He was a “rescue kitty” we adopted from a shelter 16 years ago, but there could be a definite debate about who’s rescued whom. We love him so much, and he has us utterly wrapped around his paw! How much cuteness can a camera possibly capture?

On a sad note, we had to say goodbye this year to some very lovely people. Chuck, who was part of our dulcimer group for a dozen years, could be delightfully cantankerous when it came to politics and always brought his famous adobo chicken when he came to our house. Sister Kathleen was our spiritual director through some very trying times. My “Bonus Aunt” Marian was a lifelong friend of my mother’s and a fixture in my life since childhood. Evie was one of the first people to befriend me when I joined our church 20 years ago.

We definitely consider these amazing people to be among our personal “cloud of witnesses” and thank God for their presence in our lives.

Here’s hoping everyone has a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year full of grace and peace!