Oh, dear friend,

I wish I could be on your doorstep singing a Christmas carol to you! This morning some words from one of Charles Wesley's glorious songs have been ringing in my heart..."Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled...Christ the Everlasting Lord...Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel...Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!....Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die..." You'll realize that these words come from Hark the Herald Angels Sing. Anyhow, in my imagination I'm at your door, singing with great enthusiasm to you this Christmas.
An old friend of mine used to talk about "an attitude of gratitude". We have so much to be thankful for as we ponder Christ's coming, don't we? This Christmas I'm hanging on to the hope of a future, secured because Jesus came to earth and demolished death. I have an attitude of gratitude today because I know that whatever happens next year, there is a future and a hope in Jesus. And, I'm thankful that is true for all of us. I'm hoping that you will experience a deep awareness of God's Love during this holiday celebration.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I'm grateful to God that the first stage of treatment for the sarcoma in my arm is done.  I do believe that in answer to your prayers we can see the best possible results for now.  The young radiation technologist told me that when I first came my forearm reminded her of PopEye's arm, and encouraged me very much by saying that she could see a big difference six weeks later. Wow! Oh, my arm is still very swollen, and burned. It's actually cooked to a turn, like your Christmas turkey! But, the tumor has shrunk quite a bit, and I am deeply thankful.

So, what's the next stage of treatment? I'll have a detailed MRI scan of my forearm on January 3rd. Then, on January 7th the surgeon will review the results of the scan, look at my arm, and make a decision about the type of surgery she can do.  Of course I'm facing that day with some trepidation and would be very glad of your prayers.  I'm still facing the possibility that I could lose my arm, but it is my life that I'd really like to keep. I am grateful that God has provided such a skilled surgeon.

Meanwhile, Val and I are grateful to God that we can enjoy Christmas together. The first jigsaw puzzle is partially complete, and Val is preparing to play me at Scrabble as often as she can cope with losing. I am still not prepared to play chess with her because her ability hugely outstrips mine. I need all the encouragement I can get at this stage of my life. We have new books and our friends Don and Helen Johnson are bringing Christmas dinner. Today, Christmas Eve, we will be out for lunch celebrating with the Leverington family in their home. It is wonderful to be with friends and family at Christmas time. Yesterday I had the joy of chatting to my Oregon family when Karen's sister Sue called, and to my surprise I was able to talk to everyone gathered for the celebrations. Val, of course is unable to be with her family, but we expect to talk much to everybody using Skype and our computers.  Brian arrives in less than a week, on December 30th and we are both delighted about that. It will be great to see him, and have him here with Val during the next phase of my treatment.  

It's no wonder really that I do have an attitude of gratitude. God is so good to me. And, through this crisis God has expressed his love for me tangibly through your prayers and love for me. Thank you.

I appreciate and love you lots! Merry Christmas!

June