 |
 |
Read the Goober Diary Archives
December 29, 2006:
Christmas Letter
A long time ago, the minister at the church
I was going to preached a sermon about growth. I think it was on the parable in which seed gets planted on different
kinds of ground. Anyway, the minister said that we think of tender green shoots and blossoming flowers and the beauty
of nature when we think of growth but that, for humans, "growth" usually means
pain, hardship, or difficulty. Our "growing pains" are spiritual as well as physical. I always think of that sermon
when I'm going through a difficult transition, and I remind myself that what I'm going through is not a pointless
exercise in frustration. It's a new green shoot or a new blossom I didn't know I had, a chance to become
somehow better, or at least more, than I was before. This year was one of those times. I faced some new
challenges, had my perspective turned around a few times, and, I think, came through it all with a greater
appreciation of myself, my life, and the world around me.
So I suppose the best place
to start is at the beginning; I started 2006 in a hotel room in Radford, VA with my husband and my father,
eating cheese and crackers, watching bad TV, and trying to distract ourselves from the knowledge that
my stepmother was lying in a hospital bed just a few miles away. None of us knew what would happen
next except that Derik and I had been commanded by our father to proceed with the plans to spend our
honeymoon in Costa Rica, a trip we were to start on January 2nd. I won't keep you in suspense; my stepmother
came through the ordeal with flying colors and is now back at work, back to singing in the choir at Christ
Church, and, while not quite back to full strength, a long, long way from the fragile woman she was in the hospital
bed. We are all very grateful for that outcome. In the meantime, Derik and I did go to Costa Rica, and we had
many amazing adventures. We swam in a cove with turquoise waters, jungle cliffs rising up all around us,
and thieving monkeys beachcombing for abandoned backpacks, we saw birds and animals we'd never seen before (the
tree sloths, Jesus lizards, and curosaw among them), we got to watch an active volcano, and we indulged
in a couples massage in a hut surrounded by waterfalls, the animals of the jungle, and natural hot springs.
No new age CD accompaniment required! We ended our trip with a stay in San Jose, visiting my Uncle Bill and Aunt
Cynthia Vorih. They showed us around, and we all had a fine time. We hope to be able to do it again!
In March, we bought our first house
together in Decatur, GA. That was a huge deal for us, and we are very proud of our new home, even though
we didn't quite keep our resolution of having all the work on it done by the end of the year. We hope you
will come visit us if you're ever in the Atlanta area; we even have a guest room!
The day after we closed
on our house, Derik's father, Dennis Rinehart, lost his battle with cancer. Derik and I drove
to Elkhart, IN with Derik's brother, Keith, for the funeral. It was a time of mixed emotions for both of us
as we mourned the loss of Denny but enjoyed the company of family and friends in Indiana. Derik still
misses his father, and we both think of him every day. He was a wonderful father and an amazing person; I wish
I could have known him better but am grateful for the times we did have together.
In the spring, I continued
my regular gig as Joni Minstrel, Village Protest Singer, at the Georgia Renaissance Festival while keeping
up with the Atlanta Opera's busy spring season over at my day job (I have been the receptionist there for 7
years and am about to move to the ticketing office; it will be nice to have some new challenges), and
Derik cracked the whip over his instrumental rock band, Speechless, to get their first album finished while still
working full-time in line service for Hill Aircraft and teaching drums part time. It was a busy
spring for both of us, especially since we were also trying to finish projects at the new house, clean out
the old house, and move while all of the above was going on. I'd love to be able to say I got through
it all with grace and good humor, but that would be a lie. I crashed pretty hard. Once we got settled into the new house, I took a much-needed
break and spent a couple of months doing little more than downloading songs from iTunes (my new obsession)
and staring at the wall. Derik, however, kept going strong with both of his jobs and his band, whose album
is finally available for pre-order as of this writing! The release date for the album will be Saturday, February 17th,
but advance copies can be ordered at http://www.myspace.com/speechlesstheband. Derik has long
dreamed of being the drummer in a band like this, and I am very proud of
his accomplishments in music this year. As for me, with rest, anti-depressants, and therapy, I
finally regained my equilibrium and zest for life in time to enjoy the holidays. Some people never
struggle with depression, but I know a lot of people who do. If you're one of those
people, believe me, you're not alone.
Derik and I continued this year to dote
on our cat, Persephone, and on our nephew, Oliver, though we had to content ourselves with doting on the latter
mostly from afar. His first birthday was December 11th, and he is now learning to walk and talk. All babies do that, but it still feels like a miracle when you get to watch it happen right before your eyes. Lee
and Tom lucked out with their little guy, who is good-humored as well as exceptionally cute. We got to see
him in person at Christmas time and enjoyed every minute we spent with him. We also got to see the rest of
our expanding Fletcher family at Christmas, thanks to Uncle Paul and Aunt Mary, who generously opened their
home once again so that we could all see each other, share a meal, sing carols, exchange gifts, and exclaim over the
babies. This Christmas also included bonus visits with a Smith cousin and friends in both D.C. and Atlanta.
A recap of my Christmas would not be complete if I didn't take a moment to brag about the very first Christmas dinner
I ever cooked and mention, just briefly, that I roasted a turkey to perfection. Perfection, I tell you! Of course,
I can't take full credit for the meal, since Dad, Steph, and Lee also contributed. We haven't
traditionally made a big, huge deal out of Christmas dinner at Dad and Steph's, and it was a lot of fun
to do it up right and make the whole house smell like Christmas.
2007 will be full of adventures,
I have no doubt. Derik will have his band's album to promote, I'm planning to go back into the studio,
we still have to finish working on our basement, and we'd like to visit Ollie a few times and make it up
to Indiana in the summertime to visit Derik's mom, Charlene. In the meantime, I wish joy in the new year
to you and yours and very happy holidays.
Love,
Lindsay and Derik
Ollie, who had the good taste to vote his favorite
aunt for Prom Queen
my roast turkey
What’s
in my stereo at home:
- Cirque du Soleil - Mystere
What’s
in my car:
What's
playing at work:
- I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday!
What
I'm reading:
- The Devil's Novice by Ellis Peters
|
|
|
