Some Christmas card letters are epic novels, some Christmas cards are just signed, some with photos, a piece of candy, or just a brief note about the year a loved one had. I told myself that this year, I was going to start to send Christmas Cards out again. Obviously, I told myself that too late as my bout with influenza took over the past few weeks and it appears, this is going to be the best I can do.

We returned to traveling this year, and a pretty good job of it I think we did. From Florida to New York and throughout the midwest, we put a lot of miles on Shamu this year. We got caught in some hair-raising adventures and some that were duds. But you can’t appreciate the peaks without the valleys.

The one thing about 2022 that has made this year so special, is the progress that Suzanne has made as she has become her new self, always testing her limits and making sure that I’m on my toes. Her smile has returned with the help of braces, her stamina is back which sometimes I struggle with, and her sense of humor never ceases to amaze me. If there was ever someone who could have become bitter with life and the cards that were dealt her, she would have been a candidate. But for us and this life, we now share together, it couldn’t be better with what we have.

I want to thank everyone who has encouraged me to continue to write about our journey. It all started as an outlet for me, and I guess it still is. I’m just always amazed by how many want to hear the ramblings of an old farmer from Cissna Park, and I appreciate it.

Who knows what is in store for any of us in the coming year? My hope and prayers are that your life is as full and joyous as ours and that somewhere in the coming year, we get the chance to sit down over a glass of wine, hit that little white ball down the fairway, find a unique restaurant, or just relax on our front porch swing. Most importantly, I hope we can find time to spend together.

Merry Christmas to you all, John & Suzanne

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:8-20