January

First, I want to say happy birthday to my Dad! His birthday is tomorrow, the 20th. This was the last page of a story I wrote in 1987, age six, and I love you even more than I did then! Hope your day is relaxing and full of blessing. Wish we could be there to celebrate with you in person, Dad.

So, January. January is an odd month. I've been feeling kind of drab, a sort of post-holiday let down...but there's also a sort of coziness to January- no crazy long lines and last-minute Christmas gift shopping- just winter. It feels kind of nice to stay in (like we're doing tonight), snow piling up outside, drinking wine or tea and listening to the sound of each others' pages turning. James has been reading piles of books on Nathaniel Hawthorne for this semester's course. Hawthorne, who wisely noted that

"It contributes greatly towards a man's moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate."

That's why I hang out with James. It helps to widen my sphere of understanding and experience in this world. (Right. Actually, we hang out because we have precious few other options in terms of social engagement! :) Anyhow, Hawthorne also said that

"The only sensible ends of literature are, first, the pleasurable toil of writing; second, the gratification of one's family and friends; and lastly, the solid cash."

Well, we're not sure if the cash is going to come flowing in anytime soon, but James is experiencing the pleasurable toil of writing his thesis...much to my gratification and enjoyment. He also promised to write me some poetry in the upcoming weeks...Maybe I'll post some if you're lucky. We visited Hawthorne's home, The Old Manse, in Concord, MA on our honeymoon (I know, I know...). But we loved it. It was all closed up for winter, but we peeked in the windows (James lifted me up), and tried to read (backwards) the words that Hawthorne's wife, Sophia Peabody, had engraved with a diamond on the glass pane of the first story window. It was a very romantic honeymoon day :)
Well, here's hoping your January isn't too drab, and that you're enjoying the hibernation!

New Beginnings

Hello friends, and happy new year. I hope you all had a Christmas full of joy and wonder. James and I were so glad to be back with the Jersey gang this Christmas, although it just wasn't the same without Rachael and Reilly around! We loved the Christmas party at the Witko's (especially that beautifully set table!), the fun at Aunt Debi's Christmas, and a cozy night in front of the fireplace at the Van Wyck home. We're back in Buffalo, and we're both feeling that it's a time for new beginnings. We have officially been married a full year. It's been beautiful. Hard, sometimes, and we've both learned a great deal about sacrifice and especially about grace. In all, it's been far more beautiful than we had ever imagined. As we have hardly any other friends in Buffalo, we've learned, for better or for worse, to be each others' entertainment. Thankfully, I laugh pretty hard at really corny jokes, so James is in luck, and he can still make me die with laughter at his crazy accents. And though our apartment seems to be growing smaller every day, thanks in part to the fact that Oliver has gained about 10 pounds since he's lived here, we still love being home together.
Another new beginning will officially happen in May of this new year. I was accepted into the Graduate Nursing program at the University at Buffalo, where I will officially begin my career in medicine/nursing. James and I have big hopes and dreams, and it feels good to be getting on the road leading toward the realization of those dreams. We're trying to plan a trip to Haiti for this spring, so that we can just smell the air there, feel the dirt between our toes, and see and hear the things we're working for. If you'd like check out Double Harvest's newly spritzed-up website (www.doubleharvest.org). We're so anxious and excited to get our hands to work on this life goal of ours. For us, this year will bring more purpose, more serious living for the dream of getting back to that beautiful country, to work towards this kenosis, handing out glasses of water. We're still trying hard to live with eyes wide open.

"Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act." -Albert Einstein.

So, happy new year, and bon courage to all of you who are starting new beginnings in your lives. Isn't it exciting???