Merry
Christmas 2020
I’ve
said it in the past and I’ll say it again this year, we enjoy Christmas
letters. We like writing them and we
like receiving them. To us they are a
way to share family news and document the year for ourselves. We will admit that like most people, we try
to put a positive spin the on the events of the year. Putting a positive spin on 2020 might take a
little more imagination than we can muster but let’s give it a shot, shall we?
In
January, Cathy and I made a trip to The Villages, Florida but we left the
camper at home. Winter in the Villages
means spending time with my brother, Bill and cousins Bill and Karen Early. A new and welcome addition to the Villages
snowbird community was Cathy’s cousin, Debbie.
Days and evenings were spent swimming, playing pickle ball, walking,
biking, a little golf, making some nice meals, visits with family and friends
and this year we even took a bueno Spanish class. However, when the pandemic hit at the end of
March we headed home.
Much
of the spring and summer were spent trying to be good caregivers to our friend,
Joan Klister.
Joan was a resident of a
locked down assisted living facility.
We
visited her as much as we were allowed until her death, August 19
th.
The positive spin here was witnessing the number
of friends and family who loved Joan and reached out to her.
Their good intentions truly touched our
hearts.
Cathy and I are
exceptionally grateful to be retired during this time of Covid. We are relatively isolated, spending as much
time as we can at our cottage. The Covid
pandemic, especially the way it ravaged NYC in its early days has had a
tremendous impact on Kathleen’s life. However
she earned a promotion to Director of Disease Control, Emergency Preparedness
and received recognition from her congresswoman, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Erin takes great pains to navigate safety and
care during the pandemic as a social worker for an under served school. While virtual school is a poor substitute for
in-person attendance, in Brown County it is a necessity. The positive spin here
is that like many people we are adapting to a quieter and simpler life.
Best
wishes to you during this Christmas season!
May 2021 bring us all health and happiness!
Sincerely,
The Blaneys
Very nice. It’s nice to hear from you. Nice letter and we have the same wishes for the Blaney Family. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the good Christmas letter. Let's hope next year at this time we will all have been vaccinated and can give each other a big hug. In the meantime, enjoy your family this year and stay safe.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas. You did a much better job with 2020 than I would have!
ReplyDeleteKen and Cathy, you are a blessing to so many- and especially were guardian angels to Joan! You have passed that empathy and caregiving gene to both of your girls. You have much to be proud of and larry and I are grateful to call you our friends. Can't wait for the day when we can gather together and toast to our beloved, common thread, Joan! Merry Christmas and love to your family!
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