2020

December 2, 2020

CHRISTMAS LETTER - 2020

I hope the year of the Covid 19 finds you all healthy and wise. Verla and l have been very fortunate in that we have not contracted the disease or other serious illnesses. Thank God for all His blessings this past year. The independent housing facility that we live in, shut down Mar. 9th for visitors, and restricted many privileges for us so that has been a bummer. The praise band at the local church that I played bass with also shut down so the band has not played a service and we have not attended church services since then. We have worshiped online at Concordia San Antonio where Dawn and Bob worship.

Our family increased by one in March when Lily Boyd was born to Andrew and Samantha Boyd of San Antonio TX. Dawn and Bob were very happy with the new addition as were we.

We were able to make many trips to Decorah to our apartment this past year so we were very thankful for that. We were able to see many old friends such as Norma W. and Karen B. old neighbors of ours when we lived in Decorah. Verla quilted and I read a lot as we enjoyed our old haunts. Mark, our son and his daughter Roslyn joined us in July for a few days at Decorah about Nordic Fest time so that was a lot of fun.

Verla continues her passion of quilting by making and designing quilts for Lutheran World Relief and zooming with her buddies down at Zion Lutheran every Wed. morning for a few hours. Since Covid 19, they have not been willing to meet at church in fear of catching the dreaded disease.

Vince has been busy writing his third paper on the Eucharist. He has had an interest in the subject of Holy Communion for many years and the last paper is about the meaning of the words of institution and how they may be interpreted. So a literature review of two theologians who described the views of the patristic fathers up to the age of the reformers in Europe in the 1400 to 1500's was assessed and summarized in a paper to compile the views of learned people for two thousand years. It isn't exhaustive but is a snapshot view of what Christians have thought and recorded for many years. If any of you are interested I can send you an e-mail copy of what I found. It is entitled: THE EUCHARIST: IGNATIUS TO ZWINGLI.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year,

Vince and Verla

1990

December 1990

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas greetings are beginning to arrive and we enjoy them all - it is so good to keep in touch.

In fact, this past year could be summarized by our various 'visits':

In January, Willis and Norma Wangsness came to visit and it was like old times in Decorah - we or they going across the street for a cup of coffee and chatter.

In February, and again in May, we made the trip to Decorah, visiting with relatives as we attended the funerals of cousins Fred Rosenthal and Arnold Hexom.

March was Vince's dental trip to Cincinnati - that gave me a chance to visit with Charlotte Lee, who drove down from Dayton (What a friend!) each day to help me sight see, and to talk. It was so much fun!

Vince took his annual fishing trip in May, so I trekked off to Windom to visit my folks, and other relatives. That's getting to be a tradition and fun to have more time than just a weekend.

Jené and John came from Guam in June for a 6-week visit. Trying to see both parents, all their friends, and other relatives kept them on the run. It was good to see them and to hear about their teaching experiences. While they were up at John's folks, sis Sharon and her family and we drove a rented RV out to the East Coast. My, what visiting went on day and night. We were typical tourists trying to see way too much in too short a time. We glimpsed D.C., Phillie, Cape Cod, Boston, some of the Maine coastline, upper N.H., Vermont, N.Y., through Niagara Falls and back home, in some less than 2 weeks.

Jené and John had met Arik and Miranda at the airport, so they were all at the house when we got back (this was July 5). We repacked, and loaded 2 cars and headed for a few days at the Minnesota resort we have gone to since the kids were little. There we had time to lay around, fish a little, swim a little, read a little, and visit through it all. But Arik and Miranda only had a week, so it was back to L.A. for them.

We went to the Nordic Fest the end of July - that's a given - but this time we went via Minneapolis. John and Jené flew out from there back to Guam on Saturday morning, so we saw them off before going to Decorah.

Mark spent the summer in a little town in the mountains near Denver doing theater. He loved the mountain scenery and showed us around when Sharon and I flew out for a weekend. We also got to see all three of the plays he was in, a different one each night. And we included in the visit a few hours with brother Gordon and Shirley and some of their family.

I also went to Windom in August, this time to share in Mom's birthday observance. Both my sisters were there, as well as cousins, so it was a good visit. (I forgot a weekend in June when we went to Windom for the All-Class Reunion. Over 30 from my class were there!)

Vince's brother Spence came to visit in September. He was here a few days, visited his daughter Lanita in Joliet, 1L. and his grandchildren, and spent time in Decorah, Calmar, Mason City. He even got to see the Iowa State (he grad. from there) Iowa football game while he was here. We made a trip to La Crosse, Wis. in September for the Romerike Stevne (a convention of descendants of immigrants from Romerike, Norway) and while there met and visited with Bob Moe, a 2nd cousin of Vince's who now lives in California but grew up in the Fort Dodge area. Doing family history brings new connections, and that is fun.

October brought some other visitors - Dawn, Heather and Andy came from Guam (Bob was too busy to get away). It had been over a year since we had seen them so we really enjoyed it. The kids have grown and changed: Andy talks a blue streak, giggles and laughs and enjoys life. Heather is getting to be a little lady, looks upon herself as Andy's protector (if he needs it). Dawn is 'home-schooling' her, so the daily lessons came along. They went out to PA to see Bob's folks, too; I'm sure the time was too short for them, too. They even got to see a bit of snow before they flew out of the Minneapolis airport the first part of November.

Now we are into Advent and eagerly listen for the telling of the visits of the Angels, the Shepherds, and the Wise Men as they and we worship and adore the Child whose birth we celebrate!