Hasn't everyone, at one time or another, gotten one of these godawful things in the mail? Who does this anyway? The letters are almost always from the most annoyingly religious people who don't realize that if the person on the receiving end cares so little that in an entire year they haven't heard that Johnny made the baseball team or Susie's taking dance classes, then they don't care if you tell them at Christmas. And the letters are never accurate either. I got a mass-mailing newsletter a couple weeks ago from a family that I happen to know has had suicide attempts and restraining orders this year, but none of that got mentioned. So today I will type out what an accurate newsletter would be like. And no, it's not based on my family, just inspired by many families I know.
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Merry Christmas!
Boy has this year gone by fast. It's hard to imagine it was a full twelve months ago that Grandpa got frostbite sitting drunk on the lawn waiting to catch the neighbor stealing the newspaper. But he's been blessed this year, with the good lord guiding him through his surgeries and Jesus holding him up as he learned to walk without pinky toes.
This has certainly been a busy year for us. Angie's in chemo again, but the doctors are telling us she may be able to keep the leg this time. And after months of exhaustive testing, we have finally learned who the father of Judy's baby is and are expecting the first child-support check any day now. I suppose most of you already know that a combine fell on Bert last November, but he is expected to regain the use of his arms again by spring, and may even be able to get off disability if the ACLU lawyers can convince the local McDonald's to lower the fryer to a wheel-chair accessible height.
We thank all of you who came to Sherry's wedding this spring, and who supported her in the divorce the month before. She seems to have finally found the right man in Jim, and we hope that with his love and support that she will be able to stay clean for good this time. She plans to get the help she needs just as soon as she can find a qualified clinic more than 500 feet from any schools or daycares so that her new husband can come visit her on weekends.
Yes, we certainly have been blessed this year. And we thank all of you who continue to keep us in their prayers. Let's all ask for the strength we will certainly need to drive cross-country to visit Jordan in Leavenworth, since we still can't get Shawn's name off the no-fly list.
Wishing you all a blessed Christmas Season,
The Smith Family
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