2025

Jim and Cathy Gantenbein's

Year (2025) In Review

Reader’s Digest Version – Jim and Cathy stayed busy with family, friends, church, some travel, gardening, and trout fishing. Thank you for reading.

Insomniac’s Version (Just remember: You chose to continue!) – 

Throughout the year we continued to serve in various ways as members of First Baptist Church of Port Orchard. Additionally, Cathy organizes Tuesday meals for Coffee Oasis, a local ministry serving disadvantaged adolescents. She is also a Church Relations Volunteer in South Kitsap County for Operation Christmas Child. Besides several opportunities to preach in our own church and other congregations, I have also served on the Olympic Baptist Association’s Executive Council. (I’ll leave it at that because it almost sounds impressive.)

Another blessing we continue to enjoy is having Aaron, Denise, Selah, Emma, and Jada over for dinner on Wednesday evenings. Cathy always does an amazing job of preparing a variety of delicious and nutritious meals!

Monthly highlights:

• January – I had my cast removed and we travelled down to Eureka for a week with Shane, Alison, Cecilia, and Avery. On the way down, we stopped in Eugene for a short visit with Mom.
• February – We were back in Eugene for Mom’s 96th birthday.
• March – My baby brothers and sister in law all turned 70 on the 22nd! How they ever got to be older than me remains a mystery.
• April – We had a great date night at the Collingsworth Family concert. Also, lake fishing season opened on the last Saturday of the month (along with my growing “acquaintance” with a couple of trout stealing bald eagles)!

• May – (Are you really still awake?) Early in the month, we had a surprise “meet up” with several former church members at the Air Force Wind Quintet, doubling the joy of that evening. Later in the month (the 26th for those who want to send belated greetings), we celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary and are looking forward to our 52nd!
• June – On the evening of the 5th, Mom took her medicine as usual and then opened her eyes in the presence of Jesus which is something she had desired for many, many years. Yes, we rejoiced that she was in Heaven. Yes, it was so hard for us. You have to remember that for our generation, Dad and Mom were a unit. When one was present, so was the other, at least in our hearts and minds. They represented each other. So, when Dad passed in May of 2022, we missed him terribly but Mom represented them both. Now, with Mom passing… But they always put God and family first and their example continues to inspire and remind us. Speaking of which… two and a half weeks later we were both teaching in Vacation Bible School just as my folks had done for decades. 
• July – All of our kids were able to join us for Mom’s memorial service. We shared many wonderful memories. Later that month, David and grandson Levi flew to spend a few days with us as we attended David’s best friend’s memorial service. 

• August – We returned to Eugene to help my sister, Nancy, as she and her family continued working to get our folks’ house ready to put on the market. Alison came up from Eureka to help us. One of these days all of the hoops will have been jumped through so we can finish this process of closing the estate. (Kudos to Nancy for all the work she continues to do!) A side note: I knew the stress of it all was getting to me because I was feeling some tightness between my sternum and throat. You know, the kind that surely must come from constant grief, etc. By the way, when we returned home on the 24th and I carried our small suitcases upstairs, that “tightness” made a dramatic shift to “Ow!” I told Cathy I was going to see our doctor the next day and I did. He heard my story about stress but something I said made him refer me to a cardiologist, “Just in case.”
• September – (If the previous three months weren’t “cheerful” enough for you, then read on.) I finished what is most likely my final writing contract for Lifeway Christian Resources and just in time. On the 8th, I was seen by a cardiologist. Well, actually, I was initially seen by his nurse who gave me an ECG which is just like an EKG only less British. Then the cardiologist came in and said he had examined the ECG. He asked me to describe what made the pain come. Then he said he only had one thing to say to me. It was, “Go home and pack clothes for a couple of days. Then have your wife drive you to the emergency room and tell them what you just told me. They will take it from there.” Being a good patient, I went and I told them. The cardiologist was right. They did some tests and put me on a gurney upon which I remained for two days, usually in hallways or the old emergency room area. On the 10th, I had an angiogram which resulted in two stents being immediately inserted into my right coronary artery where a 95% blockage was revealed. I’m all better now but have added five prescriptions to my daily diet with a sixth one in case of emergencies. (Don’t bump my right pocket because it is always loaded with nitroglycerin and we may both end up in Heaven earlier than planned.) Finally (for September, anyway), the last Sunday of the month was also our pastor’s last Sunday as he entered retirement. We will surely miss Craig and Kim. (Three guesses as to who the chairman of the Pastor Search Team is.)
• October – Cathy and I were blessed to be able to spend four nights in Indiana, visiting with David, Jordan, Levi, Maelie, and Hank. Then we were blessed to be at Cannon Beach OR for the Northwest Baptist Convention’s Life Enrichment Conference (formerly the Senior Adult Conference but, well, you know how folks don’t like to admit that they are old). We were also invited to sing in the choir where we had served for over twenty-four years as they prepared their Christmas cantata. We have missed being in a church choir so we gratefully accepted the opportunity and began rehearsals. Finally, while everyone else was celebrating Halloween, we were on an airplane on our way to a brief layover in Iceland. 
• November – After our layover in Iceland, we continued on to London for a couple of nights. While there, we worshipped at Westminster Abbey and enjoyed a trip around the Eye of London (where I felt like Peter Pan flying over the city).

After the second night, we were transported to Southampton where we boarded a ship for a wonderful thirteen night trans-Atlantic cruise. I made certain Cathy did not have to cook, wash dishes, or make the bed during the entire cruise. That’s just the kind of husband I am. Perhaps the most significant “family thing” we did was instituting a new tradition consisting of having the “double digit” grandchildren spend the night with us and getting to help Grandma and Grandpa decorate for Christmas. This year we had 100% attendance as our oldest, Selah, turned 10 in October and became the charter member of this   tradition. (It is also when we learned that some traditions begin when grandparents admit that they are going to need more and more help with things.)  

• December – We started the month by having lunch with my younger cousin, Candy, after she completed the Seattle Half Marathon. Someday I would like to be in that event as well but that will have to wait until they allow cars or at least e-bikes to enter. The Calhouns (Alison, etc.) came up for a week, including Christmas, and although we missed the Indiana Gantenbeins, it was great having eleven of us together on Christmas Eve, Sunday worship, and several other occasions including our participation in the Christmas cantata at Trinity Baptist Church of Lakewood!

On New Year’s Eve, Cathy and I stayed up to usher in 2026 in several time zones. But not ours. We were already in bed when the Pacific Time Zone entered the new year. 

May your year be one of blessings, joyful surprises, and time with loved ones.

And chocolate. We all benefit from chocolate!

Love to you and yours!