Dear EDLM,
I did not realize this would go on and on. I am on my way to Indianapolis where my brother and his wife are both “dwindling.” My brother has Smoldering Myeloma and my sister in law, dementi after a fall in a cemetary. So we are in the end stages of visiting them in their nursing home, visiting with family there and in Beech Grove, buying Christmas presents, doing Christmas cards for 160, and calling friends this time of year.
I am also currently in the production of “It’s A Wonderful Life” at Civic Theater and playing the role of Joseph, the off-stage voice of the Angel who mentors Clarence in the play. I am on my way to Indianapolis this morning, and then to a funeral wake for a Sunday School Class member at High Street United Methodist Church where I taught for 26 years. She was 84. two years ago, she had a fire at her house in Selma, where she survived, after falling asleep while smoking in front of the TV. She got out alive, and two weeks after, I brought her home from the Eskanazi Hospital in Indianapolis. So in addition to having her in my Sunday School Class for 26 years where she was the secretary and treasurer, I went back to her house twice after the fire, to try and find her wallet in the rubble, and did not find it. But we did get her mail going again, and found her credit cards. So, like a lot of things, it’s a long story of a relationship where I have known her for the past 37 years.
I report at Civic Theater today at 12:30 p.m., do the play from 2:30-5:00. Eat dinner until 6:00 and do the play again tonight at 7:30. Then when it is done, we greet the audience from 10:20 –10:50 p.m., and am home by 11:00.
That’s the schedule. I’m 74, and this is fun, but exhausting. We have four more performances to go this coming week. So I’ve been busy. All best wishes on your project. When you last collected data, I was in the midst of a China trip and out of contact much of the time. We are back home safely after breaking my leg on September 8th in Beijing while walking through Beijing’s Olympic village. I walked for three more weeks before our flight back, not discovering that I had actually fractured my maleolus of my Tibia and Fibula until I got back to Muncie and had an x-ray. So a lot has happened since we last communicated.
I hope this helps. My life is pretty much filled with activity right now, Christmas plans and “command” performances where I must be, the play, church, funerals, and getting enough rest to continue this pace for a few more days. We are grateful for Jesus Christ in our lives and wish you and your friends and colleagues a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We will have all our Christmas letters and cards out by tomorrow. And all our presents are bought but not wrapped, and our meetings with the two young men I mentor done before next Tuesday. Famiily arrives to visit and eat together on Saturday, when we’ll open presents and do one more production of the show Saturday evening. So it’s been a tumultuous time. Thanks for your faithfulness and work on this project.
Warmest regards