Buist 2011 Newsletter

December 2011

It’s the end of an Era. The home I grew up in on Hamlin road has been sold. Five of my brothers have worked hard to clean out 57 years of living there. Kudos goes especially to Mark and David who have fought clutter, dumpsters, and other wild things such as rat nests in the process. My Mom’s only home now is her home in Hemet. She is part of an exclusive book club there which she enjoys and she passes a lot of good books my way. I picked her up for Thanksgiving and we did our bonding over eating and shopping. We had a great Thanksgiving here with her, Don’s Dad and sister Janet. We had a 24.4 lb ham (we got a good deal on) and the leftovers live on.

I am still substituting but did some tutoring last year working 16 extra hours a week at student’s homes and am signed up to do the same for a company which pays better. My biggest accomplishment this year was finishing writing a book that I started as a student at the U.W. (One, which had never seen the light of a computer.) I participated in National Write a Book in One Month for November. I actually finished the first draft on December 9th. Now the editing begins and guess what you’ll all get for Christmas next year? I cannot tell you the joy that writing again has given me.

Don has not only been formatting my manuscript into a book, he has been working with his sister Janet on basic information books on Orchids. She and Don’s Dad, Hal, are part of the OC Orchard Society and have most of their backyard dedicated to growing orchids.
Like teaching and most businesses Don and Janet’s business is going slow, but Don and I were finally able to get Health Insurance for which we are grateful.

John turned 19 this year and was the most employed one this summer working at Office Depot where he now works part time. He is finishing up his second year of college and has sent out applications to UCLA, Berkley, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. He loves his Math and Physics classes and has a huge whiteboard where he writes out long equations (his homework) which look like hieroglyphics to this English Major. He is part of the Engineering Club where they are building a robot.

Benjamin is now 13 and an 8th grader. He is beginning to get taller. He won an Outstanding Award for 7th grade English last year, quite surprisingly to us since he is in Honors Math and Science. He loves Woodshop, Science, and Band where he plays trumpet. It’s hard to think of him entering High School next year.

It has been a year where we have lost a lot of great people. Many friends have lost loved ones or are going through rough times. So in this season of Advent we may not have an abundance of money but we have the love of all our friends and families along with hope in the love and peace of Christ which will pull us through any cold and dark winters of our lives.

Love to you all and may you find joys in the little things, the moments of grace and blessings our God of love brings to you this New Year and,

Have a Merrijoyful Christmas!

MJ for Don, John, and Benjamin Buist