S E A S O N S G R E E T I N G S 2023
Doing away with the traditional “Greetings” or To Whom, or Dear… let’s get right to the Truth.. It’s been One Hell of a Year for this particular branch of the Whalen family Tree…. This letter won’t say all that could or should be said, however, in the words of the apparently immortal philosophers known loosely as the rolling stones “You Can’t Always Get What You want but if you try sometimes You’ll Get What You Need— So I Want you to read this holiday letter and I need to get it written and into your space.
It’s been a plain and simple roller coaster of a year. We started out… like on January 5th learning that our daughter Amanda and her husband Caleb would be turning their family of two into a family of three sometime in the fall. A couple of months then passed with not too much excitement except for some continued work on getting Grandma and Grandpa Whalen’s medical situation (Medicaid application and some estate stuff straightened up a bit) and that could be seen as the roller coaster going up the first really big hill.
In the very first days of May the coaster broke over the top and Jon and Celia brought our granddaughter Leia into the world (note the name and guess the date— okay you got it Star Wars Day “May the 4th” … be with you… this of course was one of the emotional high points of 23.
Breanna made a relationship change and moved into a better living space right in that same calendar space. She has had her job changes this year and they have been a roller coaster all their own.
And then came June… and the coaster went from a high space to a very low spot emotionally in the blink of an eye as Grandma Jane’s health took a dramatic turn for the worse and Jim’s brother Don who had been having periodic problems for the past couple years also started to sink. June 13th saw Grandma Jane’s health dive and Don being hospitalized ..placed on a vent.. and falling into an unconscious state and then being treated for severe liver and kidney difficulties.
On June 20th grandma Jane turned 86 and the Good Lord determined her party was to be held in heaven as she passed away late in the afternoon on that day.
As it became fairly obvious that Don’s health problems and recovery might be long-term and significant the decision was made to find a simpler housing situation for him upon his release (People plan and God smiles and shakes his head).. so… Jim’s brother Mike (along with Tina and Amber, Jim (and his crew)< Mel’s brother Darin (and friends… and many others worked countless hours helping to get the “West Acres estate” cleaned out and cleaned up so that it wouldn’t be Don’s burden any more there are not enough thanks to be said for these efforts.
Near the very end of June Don had recovered enough to be released for an extended rehab stay in Wapello, Iowa and though we knew the healing process might take several months there was some hope and so the roller coaster started to rise to another little high spot and yes.. Remember, Amanda and Caleb? Well the baby growing process was going well. But then.. as roller coasters do…
Don’s health took a rapid and dramatic turn for the worse and he was taken to the University of Iowa hospitals where in spite of several weeks worth of trying numerous medical interventions he eventually experienced life ending organ failures. While it’s not easy to accept this sort of thing, Don was able to make his final wishes to give even after passing come to pass as his eyes were donated to help someone see better and his body also went to the medical school to further doctor training and research efforts. “Can you make sure this happens because it’s better than being worm food?” Don said several years ago…and so thanks Don you were generous even after leaving us on August 30th.
Well remember in January when we got the news from Amanda? Well do the math1 plus 8 makes 9 and how many months does it take to grow a baby? Well it takes till exactly September 19th at around 6:30. And we now had another high spot on our roller coaster as Rowan Mitchell Dean emerged and started teaching his parents about real life.
In October we kicked off the month by attending a “Tucker’s Wedding event” reminding us of good times in the past and then held a brief memorial meal for Don and a ton of his childhood friends from near and far (along with members from the “Willem” clan..We swapped stories and saw some photos from years ago reminding us that life goes quick but old and new friends are oh so valuable .. as part of that trip we were able to swing up to the Perry area and see several members of Mel’s family and a couple of other friends. There has never been nor will there ever be enough time to see everyone on this trip we call our life and it seems that this year wanted to make that point one more time in November.
A little over a week ago as I first sat down to start drafting this year’s letter we learned that Jim’s uncle Larry Alter’s fairly generous, somewhat misunderstood, and aging hearts going to make it’s last few efforts. And so the roller coaster fell a bit again… and YET
As I write this morning we have had a “Friendsgiving” with the people in our building and two “family” Thanksgivings. I have had the time to think about and contact several friends and family members who have been here for us this year and for many many many many many years (I guess I’m getting old.. today is “Black Friday” and we are having some fun getting ready for Christmas which is a season of giving and new hope… And while it has been a hard year of loss there have been new lives to be hopeful and helpful in. This is the kind of year that leaves you asking why and what is the meaning of life? … and what comes to mind this morning are paraphrases of answers I’ve given or have heard and answers I now sort of understand more than ever…
Why? answer—Why Not?
What is the meaning of Life? Answer…. Life itself has no meaning… Life is your chance to create meaning.
So let’s all get out there and use our gifts to create something meaningful for those we care for and even some we don’t even know…
Blessings To You all.. Believe in the Golden Rule—Remember Love is Stronger than fear or hate… and at the end of each day.. sleep Well and Dream Big.
