2021: A Christmas Letter

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us...
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

It's December, the beginning of "birthday season" for our family. Two December birthdays down--Will and Evie--and four January birthdays to go--Ruthie, Lydia, Erin, and Tobin. But this week, we are focusing on that one birthday that changed the world--the birth of Jesus, our Savior. The house is (mostly) clean, the trees are decorated, the nativity scenes are in place, the shopping is done, and the gifts are wrapped. Now, we wait for Erin's family to arrive from Wisconsin, for Christmas Eve practice to commence, for cookies to be baked. And then, the celebration will begin!

As we wait, it's a good time to reflect on the past year, which has been another hard one, in many ways. But it has brought us many blessings, as well.

Levi, a senior this year, has put forth a lot of effort, and is on the honor roll for this semester. He is learning to play the guitar, and has begun to sing with the worship team at church. Before he starts back for his last semester of high school, he plans to send in his application to Frontier School of the Bible in LaGrange, Wyoming, so he can pursue the education he needs to become a youth pastor.


Victoria provides childcare for a nine-month-old baby girl a couple of afternoons a week, pet-sits occasionally, and continues to volunteer at Minatare Pre-Start, helping in the preschool classes four days a week. She and Caleb still spend most of their free time with each other, and are beginning to plan their future together. 

Erin and Reed are both working from home, although Erin commutes from Madison to Whitewater at least once a week to meet with her classes in person. Will enjoys daycare greatly, even though he has caught every illness that comes along. After our long Covid separation, we were pleased to spend some time with them this summer, and again at their house for Thanksgiving, and we look forward to their Christmas visit in just a few days.

Meagan and Andy are busy, as usual, with their growing family. Ruthie arrived on January 9, and has been thoroughly welcomed and well-loved. Meagan capably home schools the kids, while Lydia and Ari are also enjoying a couple of mornings each week at Faith Lutheran Preschool. Andy works hard to provide a good balance between family life and his teaching career. The whole family raises chickens and cats, as well as a big garden. 


            

Bill's Dad, at 96, still lives in his own home, with some help from Bill's sister, JoAnn, and other family members. He is happy to be able to join us once again for family gatherings.

In November, Mom moved to Gardenside Long Term Care, adjacent to the hospital in Fairbury, while Dad still continues to live at home. It has been an adjustment for everyone, but the change was necessary because of Mom's blindness, Parkinson's Disease, and associated memory issues. Mom loves to have visitors, but you will need to wear a mask, and call 24 hours in advance (402-729-5220) to make arrangements. 

   

After enjoying more than a year of local work, Bill is working harder than ever now, traveling all over Wyoming and western Nebraska to make upgrades and fix problems in his cable systems. He was really glad to get back to coaching pole vault at Gering High School, and even participating in a couple of meets of his own. We were able to fly together to Atlanta in October to attend the Cable Pioneers Banquet, where Bill had a chance to catch up with a lot of good friends.


I've been busier this year, too, getting ready for in-person VBS and a women's retreat at our church, walking a couple of miles every day, and camping with Meagan and the grandkids. I've also been driving back and forth to Fairbury about once a month for most of this year, to give Mom and Dad some extra support and provide a little respite for Laura and Kent, who have worked so hard to keep up with their expanding needs. In between trips, I published my second book, These Kids Are Driving Me Crazy, which is a handbook full of useful information, lots of practical suggestions, and interwoven, real life stories taken from my family's experiences. This faith-based book is an excellent resource for teachers, coaches, and anyone else who works with kids whose mental health issues affect their behavior, but I think you would enjoy it, too. 

 

The local grandkids love helping me with marketing pictures! Both of my books are available online--just go to Amazon and search for Janet K Bauer, and the books will both come right up on the screen. If you're interested, you can also check out my author website,  https://grandmajanetk.wordpress.com/.

I hope that this Christmas will be everything you want it to be, and that God will bless you tremendously in 2022.






 

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