Christmas

The forecast was for a blizzard; in fact, newscasters were calling it the biggest storm since the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 days before it was predicted to hit. Christmas was only a few days away and a Christmas blizzard was on its way!

The stage was being set… John and Liz were already here from CA, and Mike was due in the same time the blizzard was supposed to start.

Thank God for the blizzard warnings! Because of them, Bill, Chris, and I packed our bags, and headed to Woodbury with the intention of staying two nights – the plan materialized only because of the snow warnings issued. We didn’t want to travel home after our Christmas Eve celebration only to risk being able to make it back again for our Christmas Day celebration.

God created a Christmas cocoon for us. It was wonderful. We didn’t know it at the time, but the stage was being set for an amazing Christmas.

This was the first Christmas Mom and Dad had all four children home in a very long time (Mike thought it was at least twenty years). We were excited!

We were tucked away, safe and warm, as the snow swirled and piled up around us. We were almost oblivious to the outside world. It was priceless.

It seems as though everyone had a really special gift for each other. Chris was thrilled Grandma loved her neck pillow and Susan Boyle CD. I was equally as excited how much she loved the book of her quilt pictures Bill and I made her and the Joyce Meyer DVD set!

Mom may not have been able to go out shopping on her own this year, but she made sure everyone had something really special and thoughtful. Dad was put to the challenge to make sure her wishes were carried out, and dad met the challenge. I think mom’s favorite gift given were the three sets of suspenders they gave to Don. He loved them too. Mom’s eyes sparkled and danced when she saw how much he liked them. She laughed with joy.

However, the special Christmas did not revolve around material gifts, the mega gift opening frenzy only contributed to celebration and the greatest gifts of all – of our family spending special time together.

I think of the time after the gift opening when Chris, Ashley, Matthew, and Samantha were in one circle on the living floor playing Matt’s new game; Mike, Sandy, John, and I were gathered around Mom visiting on the other side of the room; while a third group gathered around the appetizers on the bar; and thinking this is Christmas and what Christmas is all about – family and being together with our loved ones.

It was an amazing Christmas. We did not get our Christmas blizzard. In fact, the snow turned to rain and petered out. We didn’t care what was or wasn’t going on in the outside would. We were happy to be together.

I thank God for the special Christmas and the special time together – for wrapping us up in His cocoon for a couple or remarkable days. I thank God for my family.

Christmas Came Early

I think Christmas should always come early, and it should be celebrated late as well, and…. well, you get the idea. I don’t see anything wrong with stretching out the celebration. It is such a special occasion. What if we celebrated Christmas all year round!? What would that be like? I stray…

Christmas came early this year, as it often does. Bill and I took Mom and Dad to the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday to see A Christmas Carol. The timeless classic tale was very well done, and we enjoyed the show very much. It was fun to see the sparkle in Mom’s eye (see the picture) our outing brought. Merry early Christmas, Mom and Dad.

I pray Christmas comes early in year heart and shines throughout the coming year. His precious name is Jesus. We should celebrate the birth of our Savior all year round.
God bless everyone!

Our Christmas Letter to You -- Merry Christmas!

December 2009


Merry Christms From Bill, Shari, and Chris Harris

Greetings to our family and to our friends!

This is our first attempt at a Christmas letter -- please bear with us! We enjoy hearing your news each Christmas and thought it was about time we give it a try.

2009, like every year, was a busy year. It was also filled with God's blessings.

As we all know, Shari is prone to change jobs in any given year, and this past year was no exception. Still with Medtronic, Shari transferred to Corporate HR and joined Global Leadership and Talent Development. The move has positioned her with a job aligning with her interests and passions.

Bill has had an interesting year as Caterpillar has struggled in a tough economy. He was laid-off every other month for the last six months. You know Bill; he doesn’t sit still for a moment and he remained very busy. In July he laid a new floor in the kitchen and dining room; in September he spent three weeks building a new stage at our church; and in November he found himself remodeling a friend’s house, a work that continues. It seems as though Caterpillar has become more stable and Bill does not anticipate any additional time off.

God has blessed Chris with a six-month contract position with Medtronic as a Project Coordinator in the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business unit. In addition to his full-time job with Medtronic, he has kept very active with his bourgeoning musical career, playing in many bands. He plays weddings, corporate events as well as many other pubic venues.

The year started out with a trip to Los Angeles to visit John and Liz. Traveling with John and Darlene, Shari’s parents, is always fun, and everyone had a great time.

Shari and her sister Sandy organized a team to walk for ALS in September. “Dar's Team” was twenty-seven members strong and raised $2,700 for ALS research.

Shari is working on becoming an apprentice writer in the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. In October she published her first two articles as she began writing for Workplace Influence and Examiner.com.

Bill and Shari celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on November 10th. November also brought Bill's family from Indiana for a Thanksgiving visit.

We had many memorable fishing trips throughout the year. The year was filled with memories of time spent with family and friends – too numerous to capture in one brief Christmas letter.

We are grateful for you and blessed to be a part of your life. We pray God’s rich blessing for you and your family as we look forward to another great year.

Love with much appreciation for you and our precious Savior, Jesus Christ, the reason for the season; our hope, joy, and peace,

Bill, Shari and Chris

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)