It’s Christmas time again, a time when I think more about my friends and relatives – and in touching base with them through letters or cards, trying to share my life over the last year. Well, my life has had a lot of joy and happiness this year but also a terrible tragedy happened in October when my oldest grandson, Jake was killed in an accident while elk hunting in Colorado. For those of you who haven’t heard about this, Jake had been hunting with his Dad, Uncle, and 7 other men and they were coming in from the hunt going to their camp. Jake was driving a 4 wheeler and the other men were in pick up trucks. Jake was ahead of them and came down an incline and slight curve in the road. It had been raining and the weather and road were bad. Jake must have lost control of the 4 wheeler and crashed into a cedar tree. They flew him by helicopter to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction but he never regained consciousness. He died 14 hours later. In memory of Jake, I will say to all of you, he was a man of God, he served his county in Iraq, he loved his family and enjoyed his many friends. We, his immediate family, were blessed by the 8 months he lived at home after returning from Iraq. In these months, he had adjusted to the horrors of war and his return and was looking forward to the potential of his company he had started and moving on to his dreams and desires. Though I’m still very sad and grieving, I can still remember the good things that have happened this year. I’ve had great health, read a lot of good books, and enjoyed my son and daughter and their family including fun at Neil’s surprise birthday part Denise gave him, my great picnic birthday party Janet gave me on my 73rd birthday at a small town park in Calvert, Texas, the coming home party we had for Jake, my trip to London with Jan and my trip to Mexico with her and Bob. But of all my memories I can still hear Jake say, “I love you Grandmother”.

Merry Christmas,
Love, Doris