Christmas Letter 2008

Christmas, 2008
Manassas, Virginia

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All !!

The holiday season is once again upon us and we are happy to report that some things are much better here at 12042 Kahns Road.

First off—unlike last Christmas, we are happy to report that Carrie is doing well. While she still suffers from aphasia, she is doing many of the things she wants to do including driving. As a matter of fact, she renewed her driver’s license about three months ago!

All the news is not good since Carrie’s mother passed away in February after many years of less than optimal health. A month later, we lost Carrie’s Aunt Clare Marinan and a few months later Clare’s twin brother, Richard Mallon, passed away. Both were in their late 80s and had been ill for several years. Their passing brings a generation to a close in the Mallon family. But just as there are loses, the good Lord insured a balance by adding a new family member.

In June, we traveled to Nantucket to attend the marriage of Carrie’s niece, Casey Mallon to Bryan Lebel. A great wedding and a good time was had by all. We saw many of Carrie’s siblings as well as nieces, nephews, cousins and friends and the occasion was most joyous. While on the trip, George managed to sneak in his 75th birthday and celebrated it with Carrie’s sister and brother-in-law, Kitty and Zach Johnson and Carrie’s nephew and niece Matt and Caroline.

In July, we made our annual trek to Maine. Two weeks of R&R with plenty of lobster and wild Maine blue berries thrown in for good measure. We have been staying in the same place for many years—it is perfect we think. We are just 100 miles south of the Eastern most point in the U.S.—West Quoddy Head—so the sun comes early and sets very late. The sky is so clear at night that you see billions of stars plus the Milky Way. What a great sight! If it didn’t get so cold in the winter, we probably would move there.

In September, George swore his grandson Joe Luckett into the Navy. A couple of weeks later, Joe was off to the Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.

In October, the George Washington University School of Business celebrated the thirty years of Carrie’s work at the University. There was much joy and story telling seasoned with an appropriate amount of tears as more than 100 people came to celebrate and many spoke of the wonderful things Carrie had accomplished during her tenure. She will be sorely missed.

In November, we went to Great Lakes with Joe’s parents, our daughter Tracey and son-in-law Randy to see Joe graduate. He finished well and was meritoriously promoted. Joe is going to be a SeaBee and is now stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas in training to be a Utilitiesman. He will be home for Christmas.

Back home in time for Thanksgiving and two days later we were off to our favorite bed and breakfast, Prospect Hill Inn in Charlottesville to celebrate Carrie’s 55th birthday!!! For the first time in 25 years I was able to surprise her—her sister Kitty and her brother Jim and his wife Gina and daughter Jackie joined us for dinner. Carrie didn’t have a clue they were coming. It was a super celebration.

We attended the Washington Revels again this year. This is a musical celebration of the Winter Solstice and the Christmas
Season. It is a joyous time since the coming of the Winter Solstice with its shortest day means that for the next six months the days will begin to grown longer and winter’s
darkness will shorten. Soon, the winter solstice will arrive and the days will begin to lengthen. Spring and the greening of our planet cannot be far away. It was a particularly wonderful time for us and serves to really begin our holiday season. The Revels always ends with this Mummers’ Carole from Sussex, England.

God bless your house, your children, too
Your cattle and your store,
The Lord increase you day by day, and
Send you more and more, and
Send you more and more.

This is our wish for you as this year comes to a close. We hope the coming year brings you all things good and that all you wish for will be the very least you receive.

If you have loved ones deployed in one of the war zones, we join you in prayer for them and our Nation.

We continue to be grateful for all your prayers and we are absolutely certain they work and that the prayers of literally hundreds of people around the world have truly worked a miracle.

God bless us all—everyone.

George and Carrie