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!

 

Blessed Christmas 2024!

First, let me break the suspense and ease your concern: Breathe easy because Cathy and I made it through another year! In truth, we not only made through the year but we were very much blessed and treasure many wonderful moments. Second, I humbly acknowledge that this classic work of literature is undoubtedly the highlight of your Christmas season. So, grab a hot cup of cider or hot chocolate (or maybe a good numbing agent), sit back, and relax as I drag you through everything you never wanted to know about 2024 from the perspective of Cathy and Jim Gantenbein—but mostly from Jim’s perspective.

• Jim began the New Year by not being allowed to eat on January 1 and 2 so he could have surgery to fix another trigger finger. The really fun part came just before the anesthesiologist put me under. The surgeon, who has fixed previous trigger fingers, checked up on me and noticed that another finger was also a “little” stiff. His last words to me (and over my objections) were a cheery, “I’m going to do both fingers!” And he did. I only mention it here because surgeries seem to be the only certainty in my life. None of them are life threatening but the recovery time for each of them seems to take so much longer than when I was… not as physically mature as I am now. The last thing about January was that I noticed my left heel was very sore and I began limping.

• In February we traveled to Eugene OR to celebrate Mom’s 95^th birthday. My heel hurt worse and my Achilles tendon began to hurt, too. Mom was doing fine.

• March was traumatic. We hosted a sleepover with our three local granddaughters on the 1^st - 2^nd. As you can imagine, at our delicate stage of life, we needed a period of recovery. So, after visits to the chiropractor and therapeutic massages, we went to Eureka for a couple of nights with the Calhoun offspring. As if Alison had had enough of us, she drove us 4+ hours to San Francisco on the morning of the 9^th, unceremoniously leaving us in some parking lot before driving straight back to Eureka. What were we to do? We spotted another form of transportation and took advantage of it. As it turns out, we were Shanghaied onto a commercial ship leaving on a round-trip voyage to the Hawaiian Islands. To our relief, the Crown Princess took good care of us for the 16 night cruise before Alison retrieved us in the same spot she had left us. A highlight of that cruise was our visit to the Arizona Memorial, a very solemn place. My heel/ankle/Achilles tendon was worse.

• March ended on Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and we joined others in celebrating and praising God for Jesus’s resurrection from the grave!

• Then came April. What is it that we call April 1? Oh, yeah, I remember now. On that day I had my semi-annual checkup with our doctor. He said something about where my Achilles tendon connects to the heel being damaged and gave me some exercises to do. Also in April—and since it had been over 3 months since my last surgery—I had a number of basal cell spots removed. That’s always fun. “Please, cut off some more of my skin. It feels so good when you stop.” But the truly difficult part of April was when our dear daughter in law, Denise, had cancer surgery which also signaled the upcoming courses of chemotherapy and radiation treatments. This has been an extremely challenging time for Denise, Aaron, Sélah, Emma, and Jada as their lives have been dramatically altered. Through all of this, God has been gracious and Denise has maintained her faith in God. Aaron has been doing double duty. Denise’s mom, Carla, has helped enormously with providing care, transportation, etc. for Denise and the girls. Cathy has had a new career as chauffeur, housecleaner, lady-who-gets-the-girls-to-the-YMCA-and-makes-sure-they-get-showered-and-dressed-after-swim-lessons, and anything else that comes up. My role? I get to be grandpa… one that limps.

• May 26 was spent at church and then coming home to celebrate each other and the countless blessings from God on our 50^th anniversary! Most of May, June, July, August, and September can be summed up with one word: Gardening. Cathy weeded pretty much every day while I remained in awe of her. And limped. I continued to limp.

• October 1 was a return trip to the doctor. This time he referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle stuff. A muffled cheer arose from deep within. To celebrate, we left the next day for 6 nights in Hawaii! Hey, it was the year of our 50^th anniversary and we were going to celebrate every chance we got! As a part of our celebrating, we also flew to Oklahoma in October to attend our graduating class’s 50^th anniversary Homecoming at Oklahoma Baptist University. The month ended after a visit with the orthopedic surgeon and x-rays that finally revealed the cause of my discomfort. We are not certain exactly how it happened but, at some point in January, I broke my heel bone. Actually, I pretty well shattered the back end of it and the largest chunk of broken bone had worked its way up into my Achilles tendon. Surgery was scheduled.

• November started with a trip to Indiana to visit David, Jordan, Levi, Maelie, and Hank. We just don’t get to see this family enough! We also enjoyed the opportunity to visit with Jordan’s parents, Stuart and Debbi Groves. I continued to limp, but now with hope.

• December has been a great month (so far). My heel/ankle/Achilles tendon was repaired (Left Foot Osteotonomy Calcaneal, Strayer, Achilles Tendon Repair) and now I am developing a tremendous amount of sympathy for people who live with limited mobility. Everything is a challenge! Well, not reclining. Reclining is not a challenge. Reclining is easy. But, after many many days, reclining can be boring. 

I reckon that's it. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

In His love,

Jim and Cathy

Blessed Christmas 2023!

Cathy and I are pleased to send you our love as we celebrate Emmanuel, God with us. 

2023 was our first year of retirement as a couple and we have been quite busy. In *review:

• We became members of First Baptist Church of Port Orchard WA, where our first born and his family are members.
• Following Cathy’s birthday on March 14, we took a three month “road trip” in our 1995 motorhome from March 15 to June 10, traveling over 10,000 miles, visiting family and friends, passing through over half of the states and part of Canada, visiting historical sites and natural wonders, and relaxing while camping and cruising. We experienced every kind of weather from heavy snow to energy-sapping heat and peaceful calm to extreme winds while driving past wild fires and tornado damage. No regrets whatsoever except that we wish we could have seen more friends and family.
• We gave our vegetable garden a sabbatical but will go at it again in 2024.
• We returned briefly to Oklahoma in July to attend the funeral and memorial service of our dear friend, Pastor David Young, with whom I served for 22 ½ years.
• In September we took our fourth cruise to Alaska and met wonderful new friends when we attended the worship service at White Cliff Church (formerly FBC) in Ketchikan.
• Also in September, we attended the Northwest Baptist Convention’s “Life Enrichment Conference” in Cannon Beach OR. We will be going again in 2024!
• I turned 71 in October. I still have most of my teeth and will be getting a new (replacement) one in January.
• In December we took another trip across the country to attend a very special occasion for one of our kids. More on that in the family update.

*Each of these events could easily be a long chapter in a book of how God has blessed our lives. There simply isn’t room to mention all the wonderful people we had the privilege to see and visit and who treated us like royalty, nor describe the experiences we had such as all we did to celebrate our 49^th anniversary at Niagara Falls.

Updates on the family—

Mom is 94 and doing well. She still lives in her own home in Eugene OR and still drives her own car, although less frequently. She misses Dad but is at peace knowing he is in heaven and that she will join him someday. We are not ready for her to make that journey, yet, and are so grateful for my niece, René who stays with her each night.

All three offspring and their families are in the same places we left them in last year’s letter.

• Aaron is still working for the government at the shipyard in Bremerton. He, Denise, Sélah, and Emma still live in the same house here in Port Orchard but Jada is no longer their foster daughter/sister because on September 19 her adoption became official! To put it in its proper perspective, Cathy and I have our eighth grandchild.
• Alison does something with cryptocurrency and is, apparently, fairly good at it. She, Shane, Cecilia, and Avery are still in Eureka CA but Dr. Shane Calhoun will have finished working in the California State University system at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt (formerly Humboldt State) by the end of December and will be growing his private counseling practice.
• David continues as the “Executive Pastor of Discipleship” at Graceland Church in New Albany IN. Earlier in December, we joined him, Jordan, Levi, Maelie, and Hank in Wake Forest NC as David was hooded, receiving his EdD (Doctorate in Education) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, concluding five years of academic work. We are very proud of his accomplishment as well as all the extra work Jordan has done while David was studying and traveling for school.

Now that we are both retired, Cathy and I are “relaxing” by trying to learn how to operate our toys. Cathy has Cricut and Silhouette machines that are supposed to make letters, designs, and stuff. I think they are best at making her frustrated. For my birthday, Cathy gave me a laser engraver and, so far, I have learned how to fill a room with smoke and make wooden objects that may or may not resemble Christmas ornaments. I also now have a box of very dry and expensive kindling for whenever we want to cook some s’mores.
Additionally, I have been given the opportunity to write the “Group Plans” (teaching plans) to go along with three months of adult Bible study for next winter. I am already behind.

In the near future—
We are looking forward to taking our first trip to Hawaii in March, paying off the car right after observing our 50^th anniversary in May, and this coming October we plan to console ourselves regarding this aging thing by attending our 50 year class reunion at Oklahoma Baptist University. It will be our first in many years. Surely we will feel better after seeing how old everyone else is.

Please, know that you are in our prayers! If there is anything in particular you would like us praying about, just send us an email, text message, or one of those snail mail things.

In His love, 

Jim and Cathy

Christmas 2022

What a Year!

Dear ones, 

I pray that 2023 will be a blessed year for you and your loved ones. May we all learn from this past year and treasure all the blessings that took place during it. 

Please, allow me to catch you up on what has taken place in our lives during 2022.
 
Our offspring—

Aaron and Denise (Port Orchard, Washington)

Aaron has finished the Apprenticeship program at the Navy Shipyard in Bremerton, graduating on September 23 and is now a bonafide Journeyman Pipefitter. So, if you have a ship that needs to come into dry dock, Aaron can hook you up. Denise, after dealing for many years with mysterious symptoms, had open heart surgery to take out, fix, and put back in an aortic valve as well as fix an aortic aneurism of 6.5cm (normal is 3cm and most rupture before 6cm.). We are praying for and look forward to her complete recovery! Sélah, our seven year old and first grandchild, is a first grader. Emma, our five year old and second grandchild, is in Kindergarten and loves chickens. Jada, our two year old foster granddaughter, is an absolute delight (and a messy eater like her sisters). We are all hoping and praying that she will be legally adopted into the family during 2023!

Shane and Alison (Eureka, California) 

Shane, aka Dr. Calhoun, changed schools without changing anything. That happened when Humboldt State University became Cal Poly Humboldt. He also met the president and has a thriving private practice. Alison continues to raise (corral, herd, shake her head at) our two free spirited California grandchildren as well as navigate the mysterious waters of crypto currency. (I think that is something like real money except when it is not.) Cecilia, our second three year old granddaughter, is a practiced climbing wall veteran, astute mushroom hunter, an egg gatherer, and interior house painter. (That last part is a polite way of saying that no surface inside their house is safe from her “artwork”.) Avery, our one year old grandson, loves his sister and will allow her to do pretty much anything to him with paint or markers.  

David and Jordan (Sellersburg, Indiana)

David is an elder and the Executive Pastor of Discipleship of Graceland Church in New Albany, Indiana. I believe he is very gifted for his calling but do not want to mention it too much because, well, David. He is supposed to be working on his dissertation, too. Time will tell. Besides helping David adjust to adulthood, Jordan deserves high praise and admiration for… Let me just mention my remaining three grandchildren. Levi, our third grandchild and the first to hopefully carry on the family name, has turned five years old and is in Pre-K. Pray for that boy. He shows many traits similar to his dad and he has no qualms about calling his grandparents in the morning three times zones away for a nice video chat. Understand, when he calls us at, oh, say 7:30am, it is 4:30am where we live. Levi does not care. Our sweet Maelie, is three years old and continues to live with Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex. She not only responds well to her therapy but absolutely loves her therapists. This year, we have one more grandchild to introduce to you. Hank Stuart Gantenbein was born on August 6. He was supposed to be born later but health issues called for an early arrival and both Hank and Jordan are doing great. 

Us— 

Jim and Cathy (Port Orchard, Washington)

Despite a very cold, wet, and windy springtime and early summer, we managed to salvage a fair garden season. I know, that is all you really wanted to know about so I thought I would just satisfy you and now you can stop reading. But on the outside chance that anyone should desire more knowledge of the mundane…
The most personal detail will be saved for the end of the letter but there are other lesser matters. First, I continue to be amazed at what an incredible grandmother Cathy is. She does not just have patience with our dear little ones, but she goes out of her way to involve them in what she is doing, especially when it comes to cooking. She makes each of them their own apron (as soon as they are old enough to “help”) and when they get started in the kitchen, I find a place to hide. 

Secondly, we took our first real trip in our “new” (1995) motorhome as we attended the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Anaheim, California. The meeting aside, the trip went very well with only a few minor hiccups. But now that the AC is working, the cruise control is back in operation, the windshield has been reset and sealed, and the steps glide in and out on cue like they are supposed to, we think (hope) we are ready for the big trip we are planning to take this spring. 

A third matter is that of two more Mohs surgeries to remove basal cell skin cancer and reconstruct the areas on my head and face. No, it is not supposed to help my looks so quit hoping.

Fourthly, we enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime trip in September, beginning with a flight to London, England. At the time, all of Great Britain was mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth. Although our plans were altered a little, we were very impressed by the respect and courtesy everyone unfailingly displayed under very stressful and sorrowful circumstances. I commented more than once that it caused me to want to live there. After a couple of days we were transported to Dover where we boarded a ship for a transatlantic cruise. Before crossing the ocean and arriving at New York City, we had stops at ports in Le Havre (France), Portland/Weymouth (England), Vigo (Spain) and Bermuda. Most memorable was the opportunity to go to Normandy, France, visit several of the beaches of the D-Day invasion as well as the American Cemetery and Point du Hoc. Standing where so many young men gave their lives to defeat the evil goals of Hitler was a humbling experience. Our guide shared that when local citizens see anyone having fun—swimming, etc.—on those beaches, they go to them and tell them that they are being disrespectful toward those from other countries who fought and died on that beach to free France from the Nazis. They ask them to go to another beach. Respect!

The fifth little item is that, as of midnight on October 31, I retired from full-time ministry at the age of 70. That is right: No more vacations for me. From now on, we will just be taking trips. I expect to continue serving God in any way He directs. I thank God for the privilege of serving Him in various capacities including music, youth, education, outreach, activities, and pastor. The congregations included the dear people of: First Baptist Church of Lindsay, Oklahoma; First Baptist Church, Perry, Oklahoma; First Baptist Church, Rhome, Texas; Trinity Baptist Church, Lakewood, Washington; and the wonderful saints of Kitsap Lake Baptist Church, Bremerton, Washington who were challenged by God to call a career youth pastor to serve as their senior pastor.

Now, for that most personal detail. On May 25, Dad, who had been bedridden for a while, walked again. His first step was into the presence of Jesus and I can only imagine he has not slowed down one bit. Some folks may wonder and a few have asked, “What did he die from?” Simply put, he was 97 ½ years old. The WWII veteran was the youngest of five siblings who all exited this mortal life in birth order—the way it’s supposed to be done! To the very end, Dad honored God and pointed others to Him. He exhaled his last in Eugene, Oregon, and inhaled his first breath in Heaven. As many have observed, it was not his end. It was his true beginning. Our sincere appreciation to all the care givers, especially my niece, Renee, who, along with Mom, provided the greatest level of loving care every day.

I appreciate your prayers for our whole family. While we all miss Dad every single day, my dear mother misses him the most. God continues to use her to inspire and encourage the whole family as well as others. So, we want her to stay healthy and happy! Besides, my sister and her clan need Mom to straighten them out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! It must be a great relief to her to know that her three sons remain practically perfect in every way.

May your Christmas season be filled with thanksgiving to God for sending His Son, love for others, time with family, and treasured memories!

In His love,

Jim and Cathy Gantenbein

 It They Was Were a Very Good Years

Dear Family and Friends,

We want to wish you a very blessed Christmas and a joyful new year!

I have some male friends who made the decision to not get their haircut again until after all the COVID restrictions are lifted. (Actually, I think a couple of them cheated and got trims.) Instead of taking that step, I would like to say that I made the decision to not do another Christmas letter until COVID is over. Really, I would like to say that. It would probably sound better than admitting that I'm just…             Hey, how about those Seahawks!

Enough has been said (and experienced) regarding the pandemic and everything associated with it. 

In 2020 and 2021, we have been very blessed and I will now attempt to prove it in short bites so I don’t put you to sleep. I only wish I could show you a current picture of the whole family. Maybe next year.

Cathy 

• The love of my life had her first two years as a retired person. Our individual impressions about that are the same: WE LOVE IT!!! She does not miss work at all and has been able to keep in touch with some of her former colleagues.
• She has spent her “free time” being on the VBS Training Team (not the official name of it but it is more descriptive) for the Northwest Baptist Convention and Olympic Baptist Association. 
• She is teaching her kids again in Sunday School (observing all of Washington’s rather stringent mandates).
• She goes to the YMCA about five times a week!
• Our house is clean!… all the time!… every bit of it!… but never clean enough. (You always hear folks complaining about having to clean the house. You will never hear my Cathy making such a statement.)
• Our average meal time (dinner) is much, much earlier now that she is not arriving home around 5:45pm after leaving home no later than 6:30am.
• She is happier! (So am I.)

Jim

• I am in my 16th year as the pastor of Kitsap Lake Baptist Church (KLBC), Bremerton WA.
• I still have a passion for seeing people grow spiritually.
• I still enjoy being able to preach from God’s word each week. The preparation time continues to be very meaningful for my own spiritual growth.
• I learned how to record, edit, and put worship services on YouTube.
• I learned how to do meetings on Zoom… all the time… way, way, way too often.
• I have had opportunities to continue doing some writing for LifeWay Christian Resources.
• I know where the YMCA is.
• My body is older. Really. I feel it.
• Hair is overrated.
• I have had some basal cell skin cancer taken care of and my left ear rebuilt.

Us

• We have been able to take a number of trips to spend time with my parents in Eugene OR. For those who want to know: Dad and Mom are still married (75 years the day after Thanksgiving), Mom had back surgery to relieve the sciatic pain (She woke up here instead of in Heaven but wasn’t too upset because the pain was relieved), they are doing well enough physically for being 96 and 92, they still live in their own home but our niece spends most nights there, and Dad had a “significant” stroke in April of this year. On June 18, my siblings, our niece, some medical personnel, and I had a Zoom meeting to learn more about Dad’s health. To make a long story short, he has already lived past the prognosis. He does have increasing dementia but usually does fairly well during the daylight hours.
• We have also made a couple of trips down to Eureka CA to spend some time with Shane, Alison, Cecilia, Avery (our newest grandson, born on August 31), and all their animals.
• In March 2020, we flew down to Phoenix to visit with David, Jordan, Levi, and Maelie. In November 2021, Cathy returned to visit for a week only this time it was to Indiana where David is now on staff in New Albany.
• Like everyone else, we have had a lot of stuff called off and trips cancelled, too.
• We enjoyed the summer, including the vegetable garden and fruit trees.
• We continue to enjoy living close to Aaron, Denise, Sélah, Emma, and our foster granddaughter, and are very grateful for getting to see them frequently.
• We are grateful for opportunities to travel, visiting friends and family. Someday, we hope to do it much more, visiting more friends and family as well as seeing areas of this country to which we have never traveled.
• Sometimes, we hunt for mushrooms. Most of the time, they succeed at hiding from us.
• We treasure the time we have together, now as throughout our 47+ years of marriage.

Finally, Cathy and I want you to know that we are in awe of the countless ways God has blessed us. It is our prayer that you will experience His blessings, too.

Love to all of you!

Jim and Cathy