Christmas 2021

Hidy Ho neighbors, friends and family!!  While you weren’t looking, the Wilson’s slipped another Christmas letter between your fence pickets!  Wow, another year is almost gone and what a year it has been!  Most of the time this past year, whenever I would turn on the news or any other form of media,  this is the emoji that best describes my reaction, followed immediately by ! The world has truly turned completely upside down and only God’s divine intervention can get us right side up again!

So what have the Wilson’s been up to this past year besides recovering from COVID?!  Well, Jenny and I took a spring vacation to North Myrtle Beach just to kick back for a low key, relaxed time.  We took a vacation to Ohio in June with Alison and Crystal, to visit with friends and family as well as to immerse Crystal more into the state that her mama, Gum Gum and Pops were born and raised in.  One of the highlights of that trip was going to the Amish country, staying in one of the quiet Amish villages of Kidron and listening to the clip clop of horse’s hooves!  Crystal really enjoyed the Amish farm we visited too!  In November, we also went as a family to the mountains around Blowing Rock for a few days to celebrate my birthday.  The rustic retreat was just what we needed until after the kids left, Jenny and I discovered we were still not alone; a flying squirrel (we’ll name him Rocky) found his way in and we subsequently hastened his departure back to the great outdoors!

Jenny’s health adventures continued into 2021.  Her ankle wasn’t healing, so we used a bone stimulator which eventually did the trick. About that time, Jenny got extreme pain in her lower back and we were told that she had broken a lower vertebrae, but there was nothing to be done about it!  And also about that same time, Jenny started getting heart palpitations, so we went to a cardiologist to have that checked out.  As a precaution, the cardiologist performed a cardiac cath procedure, stating that he didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary…yeah right.  Later on, the cardiologist comes in to explain that Jenny’s “widow maker” artery was 99% blocked so he had to insert a stent.  That secured Jenny for a funfilled spot in Cardiac Rehab for the next three months, three times a week!  Jenny continues to enjoy doing cross stitching which has been a real blessing; it’s the closest thing we can find to protect her without actually using bubble wrap!  Jenny is also lined up to get the prestigious award of being in the top 100 in her company for sales…again…for the third time in a row!

I’ve started doing stained glass again!  It really is a give and take hobby, as in if I’m not cutting glass, it’s cutting me!  I’ve gained more self confidence in the art of glass though and actually did a commission piece; my first, last and only commission piece!  All kidding aside, the art of stained glass has been feeding my creative juices again!

Crystal will be seven in January and is now in first grade!  We really miss not having Crystal at our house this year for remote Wednesday, but she loves school, has a best friend Layla and is a great little reader!  Crystal was baptized in September and loves children’s church. Crystal is still in dance, but is now part of a Girl Scout troop as a daisy! Crystal continues to develop her vivid imagination, her knife sharp wit and her love for life!  Alison continues to be very successful in her role as a Kindergarten teacher and continues to shine as a leader in her school.  Justin is so very talented in his workshop, where he continues to develop his woodworking skills!

 In October, we lost another bright beautiful light from our family.  My brother Tom’s wife, Jeanne passed, just a day shy of the fourth anniversary of Jennifer’s death.  The phrase “in law” had been edited out long ago, as we immediately and fully grafted Jeanne into our family, hearts and lives.  Jeanne could put a smile on anyone’s face and had such a pure heart.  I’m sure she’s in heaven right now, having a great conversation with mom, Fred and Jennifer!

As you can see from our life reflected above, our lives are probably not too different from your own.  We’ve faced our share of sickness, death and sadness, but we’ve also celebrated life’s small moments, those little nuggets of life that sustains us from day to day.  It’s the hope we have that things will get better, not unlike the hope that we have in the one whose birthday we are celebrating; Jesus!  So with that truth, please allow me to go as far as to say we might want to be singing these lyrics this Christmas season instead of carols;  My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness, I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.  For as we face the day to day struggles of economic instability, where the price on everything seems to be going up while morals continue on a downward spiral, where it seems that the only ones getting a pay increase anymore are those who refuse to even work; even in these times OR especially in these times, we need to be reminded that if you have the hope in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we know that this is not our home…not really.  We just need to continue being workers for God’s kingdom that will still exist even after this one is no more.

A blessed Christmas season to you and yours! 

Steve and Jenny