Christmas Letter to Our Family and Friends

To my dear friends and family,
This year has been full of the most interesting challenges for our family. We have learned to trust on our Heavenly Father for the most basic of needs and for life itself. We have grieved with some of you and celebrated with others. And for sure, we have been reminded to be grateful for every day and to give thanks for all the bounty God has provided.
Our family is healthy and doing well at the end of 2009. We welcomed Truman into our hearths in February. He is a sweetheart and his smile just makes me melt. He has a quiet disposition and loves to talk to you. He just studies our voices while he tries to repeat the sounds. He is about ready to walk and has discovered a whole new world once he learned to pull up to the furniture! Tessa turned two in November. Oh, my, is she smart! She keeps us all laughing at the things she comes up with. I think dance will be in her future. She is also part monkey. Climbing is her favorite activity around the house. At the playground she races to the slide, the higher the better. She has such courage and is so sure footed. She can turn anything into a jungle gym. When I hear, “Hi, Nana” as I come into the house after work I just melt. Those words are so dear to me.
Branden, Bev, Ryan and Sarah make Derrell and I so proud. They work hard and are making a difference in the world around them. We don’t get to spend near enough time with Ryan with him in Manhattan and so busy at work. His time in the Army is about over and that will make it easier for him to get home and give us time to go and visit there. He bought a new house with two of his buddies. They went into it with a five year plan. It has been a great adventure for them all. Bev had a terrible auto accident in Aug. The car was totaled but thankfully she had only minor injuries. It took them nearly three months to clear up all the insurance mess and buy a new car. I think they are finally breathing a bit easier with that behind them. Sarah just finished her last final today. School is so hard and she is constantly challenged. She is confident of her decision of becoming a nurse and I can see that confidence in other areas of her life as well.
We are thankful to have Daddy with us today. His fall last month from his deer stand nearly took his life. Recently, the doctors and nurses shared with us how they are amazed at his recovery. Most men wouldn’t have survived, they say. We know differently. One, Daddy is amazing himself. He can out walk most other men half his age. Also, he is giving God all the glory for his healing. Dad’s journey has really just begun with his move to rehab this week. He still needs a lot of prayer and encouragement. We have so many other things that God has worked through for us this year. Not everything was answered with a yes but he was always there answering our prayers. God is truly worthy of all praise and celebrating his son’s birth fills my heart with joy and love.
May your Christmas be one of joy and love too. Family web if you’re interested
ds_hall@sbcglobal.net sherylreneehall.blogspot.com