My OperaChristmas 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 10:14:05 PM
Merry Christmas,
I’m hoping this finds you celebrating Christmas with great love in your heart and hope in your soul, as this year’s holiday approaches. My family has changed drastically this year, and as I struggle with these changes, I recognize that without my faith in God, and the support of my friends at church, these days would be even harder. This started out as a Christmas letter, but I realized that this is more of a downer than anyone needed. I think I'll just sign cards this year if I get any out.
My greatest heartache this year was with the suffering and death of my father, Harold Taylor. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, just in time for his 91st birthday, mom and I had been ferrying him to doctors for tests for over a hear. I’m afraid the symptoms were beginning in the spring of 2010, but the focus was on a hiatal hernia, and after hospitalizing both mom and dad at Thanksgiving time last year, dad’s discomfort was fully vocalized, and the battle to relieve his pain began.
When Dad passed away on May 20, just 2 days past his 63rd wedding anniversary, it was a blessing. Mom and all the siblings were together with him at the hospice house in Fort Dodge. And we were grateful to be there and together. We knew the suffering needed to come to an end. Dad had time to recount his blessings in life, he reflected that he would do everything the same way if he could do things over. I loved my dad deeply, but he was fully ready to move into the next chapter. And his faith and loving spirit carried him, as we did our best to sing some of his favorite hymns to him.
I am dwelling on this partly because the importance of celebrating Christmas through your faith, your churches, and with your family seems even more important than ever. Our new minister, Craig Blaufuss, at the 1st Congregational UCC was amazing with dad, and he has brought my family much comfort. But the outpouring of caring concern for all of us continues today, as I try to help my mom, and dad’s sister Cleo, as we face days without dad, with new issues upon us already.
Updates on this: Mom is having continuing trouble with knees, feet and shoulder…mostly due to severe arthritis. Her memory issues have become a bit alarming at times, but the doctor thinks this is a problem due to a need for an increase in thyroid medication, and that has happened. We have moved Aunt Cleo to the nursing home side of Crestview, as she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At 96, her health has been amazing, but she has been slipping mentally and we finally got that devasting news a few months ago.
This could be a full-time job for me, but I continue to run the library in Story City, and have opened a branch facility in Gilbert starting on July 1, and we will be moving into a new location before the first of January. I have had to hire three new employees this year on top of everything, and we are also due for accreditation renewal in February.
I continue to sing in church choir, and help as projectionist at church during the summer, serving on the technology, and music committees. I also began training this fall in the Stephen Ministry program, which will be completed in February. I’m hoping I can be as helpful and caring as others have been for my family this year. I haven’t had time for much beyond this. I did take a week to go visit with Arlo and his family in California to recover from severe bronchitis and to find some inner strength to continue with the challenges ahead.
I did some serious soul searching while visiting them, and when I returned to Iowa, I filed papers to divorce Tim. This is not a happy thing, but it has taken some of the stress out of my life. I discovered while Dad was sick, that I didn’t have any support from him. Since I went through helping his parents for several years, I was not only hurt, I began to question our marriage. It was only when I realized God didn’t see us as a married couple any more, that I could make this move. My vows to God have always been important, and although I questioned why I felt I had made such a terrible mistake, (I have struggled with this question over and over again in the last fourteen years), I realized this may have been necessary in helping Tim’s parents and to set a good example for his sons. I had already spent much of the spring staying with mom, so I continued doing this until Tim finally moved out October 1. And I am now in the process of reclaiming the house, doing repairs, cleaning, packing up and throwing away…and delivering many items to Tim, as he is living in the house we purchased for his parents to live in, and will be eventually moving back to his acreage.
On a better tone: My siblings all seem to be healthy and happy. Beverly remains in Vermillion, SD, with her husband Dan. Arlo remains in Long Beach, CA with his wife, Cindia and their two children Anellise-14, and Eric 12. Tracy continues in Kalona, Iowa where he is the Assistant Vice President of a bank there, and seems happy in his relationship with Angie.
I’m hoping this finds you celebrating Christmas with great love in your heart and hope in your soul, as this year’s holiday approaches. My family has changed drastically this year, and as I struggle with these changes, I recognize that without my faith in God, and the support of my friends at church, these days would be even harder. This started out as a Christmas letter, but I realized that this is more of a downer than anyone needed. I think I'll just sign cards this year if I get any out.
My greatest heartache this year was with the suffering and death of my father, Harold Taylor. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February, just in time for his 91st birthday, mom and I had been ferrying him to doctors for tests for over a hear. I’m afraid the symptoms were beginning in the spring of 2010, but the focus was on a hiatal hernia, and after hospitalizing both mom and dad at Thanksgiving time last year, dad’s discomfort was fully vocalized, and the battle to relieve his pain began.
When Dad passed away on May 20, just 2 days past his 63rd wedding anniversary, it was a blessing. Mom and all the siblings were together with him at the hospice house in Fort Dodge. And we were grateful to be there and together. We knew the suffering needed to come to an end. Dad had time to recount his blessings in life, he reflected that he would do everything the same way if he could do things over. I loved my dad deeply, but he was fully ready to move into the next chapter. And his faith and loving spirit carried him, as we did our best to sing some of his favorite hymns to him.
I am dwelling on this partly because the importance of celebrating Christmas through your faith, your churches, and with your family seems even more important than ever. Our new minister, Craig Blaufuss, at the 1st Congregational UCC was amazing with dad, and he has brought my family much comfort. But the outpouring of caring concern for all of us continues today, as I try to help my mom, and dad’s sister Cleo, as we face days without dad, with new issues upon us already.
Updates on this: Mom is having continuing trouble with knees, feet and shoulder…mostly due to severe arthritis. Her memory issues have become a bit alarming at times, but the doctor thinks this is a problem due to a need for an increase in thyroid medication, and that has happened. We have moved Aunt Cleo to the nursing home side of Crestview, as she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. At 96, her health has been amazing, but she has been slipping mentally and we finally got that devasting news a few months ago.
This could be a full-time job for me, but I continue to run the library in Story City, and have opened a branch facility in Gilbert starting on July 1, and we will be moving into a new location before the first of January. I have had to hire three new employees this year on top of everything, and we are also due for accreditation renewal in February.
I continue to sing in church choir, and help as projectionist at church during the summer, serving on the technology, and music committees. I also began training this fall in the Stephen Ministry program, which will be completed in February. I’m hoping I can be as helpful and caring as others have been for my family this year. I haven’t had time for much beyond this. I did take a week to go visit with Arlo and his family in California to recover from severe bronchitis and to find some inner strength to continue with the challenges ahead.
I did some serious soul searching while visiting them, and when I returned to Iowa, I filed papers to divorce Tim. This is not a happy thing, but it has taken some of the stress out of my life. I discovered while Dad was sick, that I didn’t have any support from him. Since I went through helping his parents for several years, I was not only hurt, I began to question our marriage. It was only when I realized God didn’t see us as a married couple any more, that I could make this move. My vows to God have always been important, and although I questioned why I felt I had made such a terrible mistake, (I have struggled with this question over and over again in the last fourteen years), I realized this may have been necessary in helping Tim’s parents and to set a good example for his sons. I had already spent much of the spring staying with mom, so I continued doing this until Tim finally moved out October 1. And I am now in the process of reclaiming the house, doing repairs, cleaning, packing up and throwing away…and delivering many items to Tim, as he is living in the house we purchased for his parents to live in, and will be eventually moving back to his acreage.
On a better tone: My siblings all seem to be healthy and happy. Beverly remains in Vermillion, SD, with her husband Dan. Arlo remains in Long Beach, CA with his wife, Cindia and their two children Anellise-14, and Eric 12. Tracy continues in Kalona, Iowa where he is the Assistant Vice President of a bank there, and seems happy in his relationship with Angie.
