The month of December was a very busy one for us as I am sure it was for most of you.
It started on Wednesday, 12/1, when I took Dad to the doctor to get a report on the blood draw taken last week. The doc says he is in very good health. The following Monday, we returned to his doctor’s office for Dad to receive his Covid Booster shot.
I continued with physical therapy on Thursday and Tuesday before returning on Wednesday, 12/8, for another follow-up with the orthopedic surgeon’s assistant. She said that my limited motion is a little unexpected but with exercise at home, I should continue to see improvement. I go back to see her in another month.
Thursday, 12/9, I went to the annual North River Care Pregnancy Center Board’s Christmas dinner at the home of my friends, Teri and Roy Giles. Roy grilled steak and chicken and Teri prepared quite a spread to accompany it. Each of us attending brought a desert and it was sure hard to pick one, two or three to eat.
Friday, 12/10, at the invitation of our tax preparer, Jim Gay, CPA, Dad and I attended a performance of Cinderella at the Manatee Players new theatre complex. Prior to the show, we enjoyed a coffee and desert reception with other clients of Jim where we received a Christmas Card and our tickets.
We had a Christmas party/open house in the evening with lots of JP and Kellie’s friends and their children attending on Saturday, 12/11. I was excited to learn that my brother Bill and his wife Mary were also able to come. They arrived about an hour before the official start of the party to enjoy a visit with Dad. We had good food and nice conversation. JP had put up extra outside decorations for the party and the house glowed.
Sadly, just before the party started, I received a text message from my friend, Jackie Sosville, saying that her mother died today in Georgia. Gladys Rhodes was also my friend, Ann Mahoney’s, mother. She will be missed by many.
Just as Bill and Mary were leaving the party at our house Saturday evening, they mentioned that their daughter, Christina, and her family would also be in Atlanta for Christmas joining them at her brother Tim’s, house. So, Dad and I drove up to Thonotosassa, in the Tampa area Wednesday, 12/15, to see Bill and Mary again and take the Christmas gifts for Christina’s family to them so that they can take them to Atlanta for the holiday. The picture below shows Bill, Dad, and Mary standing in front of their 5th-wheel-trailor home.
The next day, I went to Publix to get my Covid booster then returned home to bake peanut butter cookies for the Senior Saints meeting. While eating the delicious cookies from the cookie exchange, we played Christmas Carol Pictionary. Everyone had a good time and went home with lots of cookies.
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In 2016, I was diagnosed with uterine cancer. I had a complete hysterectomy followed by radiation. On Friday, 12/17, I saw the surgeon for my regular checkup. At first, I saw her every three months, then every four months and for the last couple of years every six months. Today, she told me that since I have been cancer-free for five years, I will only have to see her once a year from now on. When I left the appointment, I called my friend, Jackie, thinking that I would stop by her house for a short visit. She said that she was on her way to the funeral parlor because her mother’s service was to take place in just over an hour. She asked if I was coming and I said that I would be there. I rushed home, changed my clothes and got back on the road arriving a few minutes after the half-hour viewing time, but before the service began. Gladys had four girls and a boy. All of them were there, as were many of their spouses, children and grandchildren. Gladys was interned at the Skyway Memorial Gardens. Below is a picture of her casket at the graveside.
The week of Christmas, I was very happy to be able to have lunch with my friend Ruth Baker on Tuesday; we had an outdoor Christmas Eve service at Palm View First Baptist;
and, my brother-in-law, Edward, drove over to open presents with the family Christmas morning, staying until after supper before returning to Ormond Beach where he lives in the family home on the intercoastal waterway.
Monday thru Friday 12/27 – 12/31, was Vacation Bible School at Palm View for us from 8:00 to 4:15. Except for Friday. I volunteered in the kitchen during VBS, while Emma attended various sessions.
On Friday, Emma’s friend, Sadie, came too. JP and Kellie picked up the girls so I could stay and work at the food bank. After finishing this, four of us went out for supper, getting home by 8:30. There were already fireworks going off in the neighborhood. This week of Bible school was a blessing, but it was also exhausting. I did not stay up until midnight!
Our journey has been inspired by Joy and Steve Fredrick. You can see more of their story at