On board the USS Midway |
The perfection of
Jesus’s divinity was expressed in the perfection of his humanity, and vice
versa. He was God because he was so sublimely a man, and Man because, in all
his sayings and doings, in the grace of his person and words, in the love and
compassion that shone out of him, he walked so closely with God. As Man alone,
Jesus could not have saved us; as God alone, he would not; Incarnate, he could
and did. ~Malcolm Muggeridge
Our Christmas cards went out in the mail
already, but the year wouldn’t be complete without a letter. The
week after Christmas is the perfect time to complete it. Or, rather,
procrastinators feel compelled by the new year to act.
We mark our years by the places we visit and the people we
see; 2016 was no different.
Mike’s year started off at the U.S. Supreme Court in
Washington, D.C., to watch the arguments in a First Amendment case called
Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. The organization he works for,
the Mackinac Center, had performed a supporting role in the litigation. The
Supreme Court only holds about 150 people at a time; even lawyers admitted to
the court must queue up at 5 a.m. to be guaranteed a seat. Tip: when standing
in line for four hours in January, bring comfortable shoes, handwarmers, energy
bars and a newspaper to read.
Then we were all off to sunny southern California for a
mid-winter vacation. We saw the USS Midway in San Diego, Lego Land, SeaWorld,
Disney Land and the Reagan Library. More importantly, we played at the beach in
January. Rachelle’s parents joined us and we visited Rachelle’s brother Mark in
Bakersfield (our first time visiting him since he moved to California 10 years
ago). A brutal (by local standards) snow storm of ½ inch nearly kept us from
getting to the airport for our departure.
In March, we trekked to Walla Walla, Washington, for Grandma
Bigger’s 95th birthday and saw many aunts, uncles and cousins.
In May, we drove to Boston for two days of sightseeing and then
over to New Hampshire for what was, perhaps, The Happiest Wedding Ever,
featuring Rachelle’s last roommate Lindsay Jones and Ben Hansen. At the end of
the month Mike and Rachelle’s dad, Rick, met Mark in Indianapolis for the
bucket-list experience of attending the Indy 500. Later in June Lindsay’s
parents Phil and Bev Jones stopped by during a post-wedding road trip. We were
still exulting on the Happiest Wedding Ever.
Amy, Janet, Rachelle in Connemara |
July found Rachelle joining soul friends Amy and Janet for a
seven-day visit to Ireland. Amy lives in Olympia, WA, and Janet lives in
Melbourne, Australia. So, Rachelle had the easiest trip, and still managed to
get a travel virus and spend three days feeling miserable. She perked up in the
invigorating sea air on a ferry ride to Inis Oirr, an island off the Galway
Coast. It was cold, rainy, and gusty with some big waves. Her Viking stomach
returned as she watched her fellow passengers not feeling quite as well. Despite
a chilly, rainy, summer in Ireland and not feeling great, it was a great trip
with good friends. Highlights: Slieve League in Donegal Co., Marble Arch Caves
(in N. Ireland immediately after Brexit—interesting stuff!), the Guinness
Factory Tour, music and Irish dancing in Galway, and the Cliffs of Moher—breathtaking!
Cesky Krumlov |
Then in August Mike took a work/study trip to the Czech
Republic, spending most of a week in Prague. The people there are courageous,
having thrown off Nazi and Communist occupations in the space of forty years.
Grandma Bigger & Dad Bigger on Mackinac Isl. |
In September Rachelle’s Uncle Darold and Aunt Barbara
traveled with Grandma Bigger to see our adopted home of Michigan. We rented a
house up north, hiked, ate, golfed and rode around Mackinac Island. (Some of us
on bikes, others on motorized wheelchairs.)
Aunt Barbara, Grandma, Uncle Darold |
Parents sometimes need time away from kids, which is what we
did with Mike’s brother Matt and his wife Vanessa in October for a weekend trip
to New York City – our first time there together in more than 10 years. We walked
(a lot), visited museums (MoMA and the Guggenheim), watched a play (Something Rotten) and took in the 9/11
Memorial & Museum.
This holiday season we were able to spend time with both
sides of our immediate families, with a Reitz gathering in West Virginia and a
Bigger gathering back in Michigan.
Ben (12) has taken up fencing. He continues to write
adventure stories and has acquired a respectable Nerf arsenal. Kyrie (10) is
our Irish dancer and Party Planner-in-Chief. Evie (7) is our gymnast and
humorist.
Looking back over the year, we are deeply grateful for the gifts
of friendship and prayer. Merry Christmas and a blessed new year!
Mike, Rachelle, Ben, Kyrie and
Evie
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