2006 Christmas Letter

I am a sucker for these things, so I wrote this up to send to a few people who had sent us one of these monstrosities:

We so love to receive and hear from dear friends and relatives during the holidays, and didn’t want the season to go by without at least touching base, since we managed to miss sending out cards again this year. This was certainly a year that created lifetime memories for our family.

Matthew turned eight in October, and is a skilled reader and mathematician. A prolific artist, he daily produces detailed drawings, maps, and figures crafted from clay, paper, and other materials. Now he is producing hilarious videos with the camcorder he received for Christmas. Matthew loves to go to Braves games, and received a batting practice ball from Brian McCann, his favorite player. While praying with Ceil the night before a big Little League playoff game, he prayed that he would hit a home run, though he had never come close before. But next day he did…and running the bases, the look on his face was priceless!

Anna continues to love ballet, and has also become quite the reader, devouring whole books in a day. Mysteries are her favorite, and she’s halfway through the Nancy Drew series. Anna loves anything horses and American Girl dolls, even attending an American Girl Tea. She even has a horse for her American Girl doll! In June she once again attended Miss Ginny’s Knitting Camp with her best friends, and in July went with dad on a business trip to Charlotte, where she spent time with an old neighbor friend. In August she wanted to go shopping for her tenth birthday, surely a bad sign!

Will became a teenager this year, and has a bunch going on. He loves his wonderful Living Science school, which has challenged him both academically and spiritually. He has become the neighborhood yard man, and also helps out Tech sophomore George Ewing with his yard business. Will attends youth activities with many friends at a nearby church, particularly on Wednesday nights. He had another fine baseball year, traveling with his summer team to play in Cooperstown, New York, where he led the team in both hitting and pitching…not allowing a run the entire tournament. In the fall Will turned his second career unassisted triple play, the rarest feat in sports! He finished the season batting leadoff for the 15 – 18 year old Colt team.

Every year Ceil rises to the ever-increasing challenge of home-schooling our three children. Preparation has become more and more time consuming…she has become more organized and attends several conferences and book fairs. Ceil completed a Bible study with a dear group of women, regularly prays with several of her closest friends, and loves helping out at Living Science with Becky Norman and other moms. She also squeezed in a little time for her beloved baking and sewing.

Dave enjoyed writing a little, and helping and watching the kids in their activities…scoring the baseball games and playing some catch. He chaperoned on both the Living Science Spring Expedition to Jekyll Island and in the Cooperstown barracks. There were more trips than usual to Macon in the fall, when his mother had extensive shoulder surgery. Business trips were short but interesting, and included trips to Houston, Jacksonville, Charlotte, and Orlando (when he took in Tampa Bay Devil Rays game).

The year breezed along, punctuated with a few trips like the April Expedition. We celebrated Easter with Ceil’s family in South Carolina, and returned in July for a week at Myrtle Beach, as well as a November Clemson football game. On our way home from Cooperstown Will got to visit New York City for the first time, then Washington, DC and a Nationals game with the Broadwell men. At home God worked in our lives through our local church, where Ceil (and Will) worked in a children’s class. Our cups were full.

Then in late July the phone rang in the middle of the night…Ceil’s dear friend and mentor Ginny Ewing had not returned from her bike ride on the Silver Comet Trail. Ceil and Will went out to help with the search, while Dave and Anna sped home from North Carolina. For the next week the story of her violent murder led the local news, making dealing with the tragedy all the more difficult. Ceil was of course devastated, and found solace by spending time at the Ewing house most every day. While there was an outpouring of care for the Ewings, God also greatly comforted our family, through the care and love of our community group, friends, and family. Ginny was a great encourager for Ceil, particularly in home schooling, as well as in prayer, friendship, and many other areas of life. Ceil is still overcoming her loss, so we ask for your continued prayers…it’s hard just to write this!

We finished the year with an interesting journey, first to St. Georges Island, Florida to celebrate Christmas with Dave’s family. We were able to enjoy an almost empty beach, before cutting the trip short…Matthew had bronchitis earlier in the week, and Will came down with it in Florida. Then we returned to South Carolina for the Miller Family Christmas: three more days of wonderful constant family activity. As 2006 came to a close we have begun to appreciate even more the life God has given us, and the friends we have to share it with.