Happy Holidays! Thanks for visiting. Here’s what we’ve been up to:
Donald seemed restless during the first days of 2022. Was it cabin fever? The January blahs? Was he feeling neglected? Why else would he sign up for ANOTHER round of open heart surgery? And why would he schedule it for February 14? His attention-getting strategy worked. Connie spent Valentine’s Day 2022 thinking how much she loves and needs him. All three of our kids came home to lend moral support.
This “heart-surgery” theme in our Christmas letters is getting monotonous. We apologize for the repetition. This should be the last time — really! This time we went to the Mayo Clinic, to a surgeon who specializes in re-doing failed aorta surgeries from other surgeons. He made several important changes, including replacing the pig-tissue valve with an artificial one. The new valve is noisy, so now Donald goes “tick, tick, tick” like the crocodile in Peter Pan.
The recovery went well, and our children soon returned to their normal pursuits. Andrew’s idea of “normal” included living overseas for most of the year. He and his wife Hannah spent the spring and summer in London and the autumn in Lisbon, before moving back to San Francisco in mid-November. Connie visited them in London in July. Their hospitality was awesome, like a luxury hotel with two private tour guides.
Meanwhile, Bethany has been hard at work on her art career, which is flourishing quite well this year. She’s had a steady stream of commissions in both painting and sculpture, and has been active in organizing art events in and around Washington DC.
Speaking of flourishing: our grandchildren are bigger and more capable than last year. Alice is enjoying first grade. Arthur is literally climbing the walls. “Baby Fiona” isn’t a baby anymore.
We are proud of the loving home that Timothy and Amanda provide to these precious little ones.
Highlights of our year included some trips to visit loved ones. Connie traveled with Donald’s step-mom Dorothy to visit the grandkids in DC. Donald went to upstate New York to see his sister Anne and her husband Ralph.
A noteworthy accomplishment for Donald this year is that his Legislative Evaluation Assembly (https://lea-mn.org) completed their analysis and released their report BEFORE Minnesota’s primary elections. We believe this is the first time it’s happened in the group’s 50 year history. Careful analysis of legislative bills is a time-consuming process. Connie is proud of Donald’s role as the group’s president for the past several years.
Well, that’s our story for 2022. Thanks for reading.
Click here to see our photos from previous years: http://www.leechristmas.org
We wish you health and happiness and God’s peace during the holidays and throughout the new year.
