A Christmas Letter
Dear family and friends both near and far,
Let me begin by saying that we miss you! Our hearts ache not being able to share a meal, a drink, or a hug with you. The year 2020 has held its challenges and its sorrows. I don’t think I need to dwell on all the reasons too long; you have lived through it as well. But what I will say is that we grieve with those who have lost loved ones and jobs and have had dreams dashed.
As we, along with the rest of the world, were forced to slow down and simplify life, we found gifts amid the chaos along the way. One of the gifts this year has brought is our little family growing closer and it being a constant source of joy and laughter.
Eleanor started the year as a crawling teething 9 month old. This year she turned one, has learned to walk, popped out nearly all her teeth, and is a singing, dancing, talking delight. She calls her sister “Ella,” the dog “Dawdaw,” and loves dancing ballet to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” She loves animals of all kinds, especially turtles and giraffes. She already has a dry sene of comedy that often leaves us in stitches. Her skill with a pen is quite amazing, until she decides to leave the confines of the paper and colour on the more challenging canvases of skin and walls and furniture. Eleanor also shows signs of a love for order and routine and cleaning up! Just tonight after snack, without prompting, she carried her and her sisters bowls to the kitchen, dumped out the peels in the garbage, and put the dirty bowls back in the drawer with the clean ones. Next year we’ll work on the washing step!
Dawson, our “middle child,” has loved always having people around. We laugh that he is part cat the way he nudges the arm for attention and curls up at my feet at night. He has loved the time he spends out at Bob’s parents property in Maple Ridge where he has room to run and chase birds (and the odd deer now and again) to his hearts content. He finally made friends with their two chickens. He is well loved and adored by the whole family and soaks up every bit of it.
Elizabeth was sad to have to say goodbye to her daycare friends in March, but over the course of the summer learned that sisters can be pretty great friends. She started working on learning her letters and was ready and excited when preschool began in September. Her imagination is a delight to watch as she plays out characters and stories with her toys. She loves dressing up, most frequently in a certain blue Elsa dress, and loves all things unicorns, mermaids, and princesses. Four going on fourteen. Her memory is very sharp (as is her singing voice), and continues to be my strong-willed independent feisty beauty. Elizabeth is always moving. Constantly. There are many days where I feel like a tornado has blown through our house. But when that movement stills and she comes for a cuddle we see glimpses of a tender-hearted leader who deeply cares for others.
The girls have been delighted to have Bob working from home. At first we had to remind them that closed door means daddy isn’t available. But the brief moments throughout the day that they get to talk to him and give him hugs gives them such joy. They will hear the office door open and immediately stop what they are doing with cries of “Dada dada!” And “Hide! Daddy’s coming” as he pretends to stomp up the stairs like a bear. Squeals and giggles abound when he finds them and hugs them and tickles them. The big change for Bob came in August when he began his MBA through UC Berkeley Haas Business School. And while the plan had been for him to travel each weekend, the pandemic has meant online classes. This hasn’t been ideal for school, but has been a blessing for our family.
And not to be left out of the learning, I (Anne) took up learning Mandarin this year through Duolingo. After 210+ days in a row, I have learned nearly 1000 words/characters. The most rewarding moments are when I am listening to Bob’s family talk and I’m able to pick up words or understand what they are talking about. This year has been all about consistency for me. Whether learning Chinese, studying my bible, reading, exercise, or writing, I have found what rhythms are working and just haven’t quit. It has allowed me some predictability in an otherwise very unpredictable year. Other highlights from my year are leading a group of ladies through a program called Freedom Session at our church, having my older sister Miriam move from California to just 20 min drive away, and starting “Seas of Pure Grace” with my sisters.
Perhaps the greatest gift this year has given us is the reminder (again and again), that we are not in control. But that we have a Mighty God who is. We have been given the opportunity to take our tightly bound fists and hold them open in surrender. We can make plans and dream dreams, but ultimately it is God who directs our feet. Our hope is in something eternal and not in anything temporal.
And that brings us to Christmas. The message of Christmas is this: That Jesus stepped off his throne and came into a broken and dark world as a baby, born of a virgin, placed in a manger of hay. That baby boy would grow to be a man, without fault or sin, and would take on the punishment we deserved, so that we may have hope in an eternity with the Father.
So from our home to yours, we leave you with this prayer:
Though this world is full of sorrows, may you look to Jesus and find joy.
Though this world is full of conflicts, may you look to Jesus and find peace.
Though this world is full of despairs, may you look to Jesus and find hope.
Though this world is full of hate, may you look to Jesus and find love.
Though this Christmas may seem different, may you look in the manger and find Jesus.
Merry Christmas.
Frohliche Wiehnachten
Sheng Dan Kaui Le
Love Bob, Anne, Elizabeth, and Eleanor (and Dawson, not pictured because its hard enough to get 2 kids looking at the camera at the same time, let alone 2 kids and a dog)
