December 2023

Dear Family and Friends,

After so many “surprises” in last month’s letter, it seemed like very little happened in November, so I thought I’d wait until mid-December and have it serve as my Christmas letter to all those who receive it by email. I do hope this proves to be a little better way of doing it, maybe even from now on. We’ll see. So, I do send you “Christmas Greetings!” I hope this finds you well and in the spirit of the Season.

Now, from November: Cedar, True’s daughter (injured while hiking last month and has had to maintain a straight leg continually so as not to tear the cartilage again) has been receiving good home care through the VA and is doing well. The first week of home care, she happened to have a lady who liked to talk continuously, you know, the chatterbox type, and it about drove Cedar nuts. But she now has several caregivers, and they have plenty to do. So no more chatterbox. Cedar’s physical therapy treatments are helping a lot and she is even able to ride in a car now if she can lay flat. She’s a spunky one, alright!

The abrasive sore on the end of my stump seems to be healing, but I was still advised to be on it for only short periods of time each day. So I’m in the wheelchair most of the time and don’t get too much real practice time on it. I was also given an ointment that may help the sore recover faster, we hope. I also had a visit with my primary doctor and he checked me over well and found everything to be in good working order and running smoothly. That was great news and what I expected, since I do continue to feel just fine every day. I am a little concerned about gaining weight, however, since True feeds me good meals every day and I don’t get much real exercise anymore. I tried to get weighed at the doctor’s office, but I couldn’t balance myself on one leg long enough to get a proper reading. They do have a large scale that can weigh the wheelchair alone and then weigh it again with me in it and get a better reading. It wasn’t available, but might be for my next visit. I‘m anxious to know if, and how much, I’ve gained. While sitting, I’m getting a lot of writing and reading done, though, including the Reader’s Digest that continues to appear mysteriously in my mailbox each month. I certainly do appreciate whoever is doing that for me. Thank you!

A week or so before Thanksgiving, True came down with a cold and cough that sapped her strength and energy and made her want to curl up and just stay put. She did for a day, but she’s a spunky and strong-willed girl and kept up with her daily routine. On Thanksgiving Day, she outdid herself by including tasty appetizers along with all the traditional items done to perfection, that made the dinner so special for us.

She even made extra yams with marshmallows because she knew I like them that way. Such a sweet, thoughtful daughter I have. Linda supplied the dressing or stuffing for our turkey/chicken and I tried helping with the Jello cranberry salad. Big deal, huh! I am a good vegetable chopper though! Anyway, the three of us had a lovely dinner together and played Tile Rummy afterwards. It made for a really nice day! Later, Dan called from Hawaii, where he and Cathy are doing a great job as missionaries.

I mentioned before that the spin cycle on our washer was not working and clothes were being taken to the home of True’s friend, Anthony, to be washed and dried. Linda had been scouring the want ads for good used ones and did find a nice set that were delivered here on Nov. 29th. I had my checkbook out ready to pay for them, when True said that was all taken care of. Dan and Cathy were paying for them as a birthday gift. Oh, My! How sweet of them to do that. Yes, I did have my 96th birthday on Dec.1st. And because our microwave was also old and giving problems, here again, my girls made the day extra special by providing me with a new Microwave! There's always that joke about a woman being given tools or appliances instead of jewelry, but in this case the big items were very much desired and appreciated. And then, to top it off, True had found some lovely clip-on earrings for me, so I did get jewelry besides. I was overjoyed! I have three of the sweetest, most generous and loving children, who are willing to do so much for their Mamacita, when I do so little for them.

Nice cards and phone calls from friends and family near and far, also added greatly to the day. A card from my sister, Carol, contained money that I was specifically requested to use for a dinner out for the three of us. So, we did enjoy a nice dinner together at the same Mexican restaurant we went to last year for my 95th birthday. Then we spent two hours viewing the Nativity scenes being displayed at the Church. This is something our church has sponsored for many years and is, of course, open to the public, so has grown larger and more spectacular each year, as more people of the community participate in it. Some people own one or two and others have actual Nativity collections. This year there were several hundred creche scenes on display, filling the entire Cultural Hall, but beautifully arranged for easy viewing. We saw ones from all over the world, made according to their culture. It was definitely awe-inspiring to see so many different ways of honoring the occasion of Christ’s birth. I have three sets of my own but did not include them because of the magnitude of others already on the list of entries. 

I did, however, display my picture of Sallman’s Head of Christ that means so much to me. It is quite unique in that, though it looks like a painting, close examination reveals that it is done with stitching, not paint. And not just regular stitchery, but one with embroidery threads and using a treadle sewing machine! At least, that was what I saw in the room of the small home of Maria Teresa Maldonado in Saltillo, Mexico, and assume she used it in creating this picture and the many others that hung on her walls. Exactly how it was done, I do not know, and have kicked myself many times for not finding out from her just how it was done, but there was no time. I just know it is a marvelous work of art, especially when seen from the BACK, which shows clearly the stitching and is an exact duplicate of the front. It was presented to me at the close of my mission to Mexico in 1952, and has been a treasured possession ever since. So, I was happy to share it, on my birthday, at the Festival celebrating Jesus’s Birth Day.

Another thing, and a first for me, was a little tumble backwards I had when wearing my “Buddy”while Linda and I were at the bank. People gathered to help. But it was no big deal. Nothing broken or bruised. Just a little hurt in the shoulder that an ice pack took care of. I shouldn’t have even mentioned it, because what I did want to end this letter with was the extraordinary sight that I was privileged to see one morning. 

I was just arousing from my bed and had seen a touch of pink in the western sky, when True grabbed the handles of my chair and wheeled me to the west-facing front door, saying “You’ve got to see this!” And there, before our very eyes, was a glorious, spectacularly beautiful sunrise! It was sparkling and brilliant with its colors of yellow gold and pink blazing across the sky. It was the most breathtaking sunrise that we had ever seen! All I could do was say, with mouth gaping open, “Ooh,my!” “Ooh, my!” And thank the Lord for such beauty on this beautiful earth. True was lucky to have caught it just then, because it soon faded and was gone. She said that beauties are around us all the time, if we just see them.

Yes, the Lord does bless us abundantly. And I pray that HE will bless YOU with good health and happiness during the rest of this year and all of the new year. And may you also have joy in celebrating the birth of our Savior now, and have his love in your heart forever. Happy Holidays. Enjoy your families and the season. Enjoy your little puzzle, too And know that I love you, mucho. Feliz Navidad!

Marie