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| Bissonnette's Christmas Gazette December 2007 Horicon, WI e-mail - [email protected] |
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| Greetings,
Sensing how fast this year passed, I feel the need to honor all that the year has brought into our lives. It is becoming clearer than ever that a year is a limited resource, precious and unique. For as long as my supply lasts, I want to take time in December to celebrate and remember the special moments of the year . I will long remember this year as the year my Dad, Leonard Martin, left this world. The tears and lump in the throat that come with writing that sentence are accompanied by wonderful memories of the person he was. Dec. 1 would have been his 85th birthday and he always loved Christmas, so I am thinking of him often in this season. I will also remember this as the year of the birth of adorable, little Paelun, son of Joe and Ceci. We will be spending Christmas with them in Alexandria, Virginia. This will be the first year since we had children that we are spending both Christmas and Thanksgiving away from home. We were at the home of Peter and Lara, Phillip and Nora in Eugene, Oregon for Thanksgiving. It is hard to let go of the traditions of having holidays in our home that we have kept for so many years but each stage of life has its delights and having grandchildren is certainly one the greatest delights Andy and I have ever known! Henry will be here for a couple weeks at Christmas during his semester break. He is a PhD candidate in Economics at IU in Bloomington, Indiana. We are happy that he is still in the Midwest and able to come home at Christmas. With age we hope for wisdom and I have decided that learning to accept change is the secret of aging gracefully. With all the transitions that the years bring, change is inevitable. Surrendering to what comes, is a growth opportunity. I�m sure I�ll get plenty of chances to practice growing in the years ahead. Apropos to this train of thought is a quote from my collection: �Terrible or not, difficult or not, the only thing that is beautiful, noble, religious, and mystical is to be happy.� Arnaud DesJardins I wish you peace!��Debbie |
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| Above: Dad with Phillip in 2003 Our wonderful grandchildren: left-Paelun and below Nora and Phillip |
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| Above: Peter and Debbie hiking along the MacKenzie River Right: In Charlottesville for Jee's Law School Graduation; Denise, Marion, Anna, Maynard, Joe, Ceci, Diane, and Andy |
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