Roth Family Christmas Epistle 2012

 

KELLY JO (23) – Well, the picture almost says it all, doesn’t it? Dustin Haug and KJ had been planning their June 2013 wedding for quite some time when they called us on Grandparent’s Day: “We’ve got some Really Good News to tell you. We are both really happy about this…” And so, we are expecting a second grandchild in early April, and Debbie has dibs on holding the two-and-a-half-month-old at the wedding!  Kelly Jo continues to be a well-loved nanny for two families in St. Paul, while Dustin teaches chemistry in a performing arts high school and leads dancing workshops and performs. As an extra creative outlet, KJ has been involved with a project called “The Book of Bartholomew,” writing and performing music…look it up online!

CURTIS (25) – Big changes for Curtis this year…after an acting/puppeteering job in a production of Little Shop of Horrors in Florida, he moved back home to Minnesota, where he and The Dad were reunited in the all-new Dakota Chautauqua tent show at the county fair in August. Curtis also did a show with the Minnesota Opera and is breaking records left and right as a server at the local Red Robin. He is also experiencing a spiritual revival and even plans to go on a short-term missions trip to Romania in late June 2013.

SHONDA (29) – With hubby, John, returned to the states after a 4-year stint in Germany and is now living near the Air Force base in Little Rock, Arkansas. John is still a firefighter with the AF, and Shonda is working in the base’s childcare program much as she did in Germany. John had to battle a pulmonary embolism, which has kept them from being able to visit us yet, but things are looking better now, and we hope to see them soon in the new year.

ANGEL (32) –is in her 9th year of teaching first grade, and is learning how to balance the necessity of a paying job with the joy of being a mommy to Jesse, who just turned one December 4th. Husband Phil is also still teaching art, splitting his time between two high schools. Not an ideal situation, but glad to still be employed.

DEBBIE – Vigorous walking and healthy eating has led to saying goodbye to over 35 pounds, with a goal of 20 more to go so she can be as healthy of a Grandma as possible, which she absolutely loves. December 4, 2012, represented 14 years cancer-free and mid-January will mark her 15th anniversary with the school district’s Transition Plus program, working as an aid with disabled young adults.  Debbie enjoys the opportunities she gets with her speaking and singing ministry, Rest in Him, to offer hope and encouragement. In fact, if you’ve got any pull with the women’s ministry of your church or any kind of support group, you should give her a call and let her be a blessing for your friends. (More info at http://www.restinhimministry.com)

DEWEY – Marked 5 years as a Technical Writer with Harris IT Services; 13 (in January) as Actor/Choreographer/Asst. Director with Giant Step Theatre; and had a great time not only performing in the Dakota Chautauqua again but co-writing and co-directing this time around, too. One other change, in addition to the attempt-at-being-humorous blog at almostthetruth.blogspot.com, he started an attempt-at-being-meaningful one at DeweyTruth.blogspot.com. Both can easily be found by going to the www.almostthetruth.com website.

MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE MERRY AND BRIGHT AND CHRIST-FILLED!

Books I Read in 2012, Vol. III

 

CHOOSING TO SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope
Mary Beth Chapman with Ellen Vaughn

"From the beginning, Mary Beth Chapman's life was not how she planned. All she wanted was a calm, peaceful life of stability and control. Instead, God gave her an award-winning singer/songwriter husband, crazy schedules, and a houseful of creatively rambunctious children. And then, she experienced the tragedy she never could have imagined."

No doubt, my interest in reading this book stemmed from wanting to read how the Chapman family dealt with the tragic death of their adopted daughter (when their son accidentally hit her with a car), but what kept me turning the pages was finding out so much more than just the details of death's aftermath. Mrs. Chapman had a whole lot of life before the loss of Maria, and she shares the whole story, before-during-and-after, with vulnerability, humor, and deep, abiding truth.

56/5: He said that "divorce is not a word in our vocabulary."

VOICE-OVER VOICE ACTOR
Yuri Lowenthal & Tara Platt

"I have never seen such a comprehensive and clear explanation of the ins and outs of the voice industry. Yuri and Tara offer up a book that is not only easy to follow, it's also in-depth, inspiring, and funny at the same time!"

A very enjoyable read, if you're interested in the topic, which I am, and that settles that. The authors have a helpful attitude about auditioning that I found refreshing: "This may sound like common sense, but if you're going to embark on this quest, you need to enjoy acting, because there's gonna be a whole lotta actin' goin' on. And most of the acting you do will come in the form of auditions for which you won't be getting paid - in money.... Remember, though, getting to audition is getting to act, and that's the fun stuff, right?"

56/5: Remember, you are enough.

THE SIGNATURE OF JESUS
Brennan Manning

"This book is offered to Christians who want to live by faith and not by mere 'religion;' for those who recognize that many of the burning theological issues in the church today are neither burning nor theological; who see Christianity neither as a moral code or a belief system but as a love affair; who have not forgotten that they are followers of a crucified Christ; who know that following him means living dangerously; who want to live the gospel without compromise; who have no greater desire than to have his signature written on the pages of their lives."

This book certainly lives up to the dust jacket...as I have come to fully expect from Manning. It was published in 1992, but shows no signs of age. Take this quote, for instance: "Writhing in agony on the cross, Jesus says, 'I know every moment of sin, selfishness, dishonesty, and degraded love that has disfigured your life, and I do not judge you unworthy of compassion, forgiveness, and salvation. Now you be like that with others. Judge no one.' ... As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, as if we are what we have, and as if we are what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgments, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to the need to put people in their place."

56/5: Landscape: Today many churches attempt to eliminate the risk and danger of this call.  Portrait: We Americans are programmed to be consumers.

Aesop's Fables
Aesop

This volume was a free download in iBooks, made possible by Project Gutenberg, which has the goal to "give away one trillion etext files by December 31, 2001.

I don't know if Project Gutenberg reached their goal, but I'm glad they made the attempt. Not only did I enjoy reading this compilation, but I am looking forward to moving on to Grimm's Fairy Stories. It was interesting to not only read the familiar tales like "The Fox and the Grapes" and "The Lion and the Mouse," but there were SEVERAL I had never heard before like "The Bald Man and the Fly" and "The Milkmaid and Her Pail." Scintillating! Well, not really...but as research for possible future Giant Step Theatre productions, fairly interesting.

56/5: Landscape: He pointed to the truss of hay and said: "What are those two curious things sticking out of the hay?"  Portrait: An old man on the point of death summoned his sons around him to give them some parting advice.

FOR THE RECORD...the reading for the remainder of this calendar year will be focused on trying to finish Ron Chernow's WASHINGTON: A Life, which I said I read sometime between May and August 2011 (see Books I Read in 2011, Vol. II) but of which I still have several chapters to complete.