Glacier Bay, Alaska

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Isaiah 26:3

What a difference a year makes.  Our last Christmas letter was heavy and hard to write; we were still very much in anguish over the loss of Brian.  This has been a year of adjusting and accepting that reality.  Many of you played a role in getting us through this and it really helped.  There is nothing particularly appropriate for someone to say in a situation like this, but it is a time when one just wants friends; that helps so much.   There are triggers, a random thought, a scene on TV, a familiar place, which bring Brian back to us at unexpected times.  However, increasingly we are drawn to the many fond memories of the Brian who was such a vital part of our lives.

  Now, as I look back on 2008, I realize that we had an interesting year, filled with engaging, enriching experiences.  Pat continued to provide nursing care to her chronically ill little patient.  It has been impossible for her not to bond with this girl and with her family, and while the work is literally back breaking, Pat has derived much satisfaction from it. 

In April, I went to China for the first time since I was a small boy.  Jim Burkett showed me Chengdu and my boyhood town of Leshan.  I hooked up with my brother Sam and we explored Chongqing and did a cruise down the Yangtze River.  Most of you have seen the trip on my website.

In May, Pat and I realized a long held ambition of doing an Alaska cruise.  Greg and Nan Scott were our most agreeable cruise partners.  We found the inland passages of Canada and Alaska fascinating, and the majesty of Glacier Bay and the other fjords something we will never forget.   

In September, we accepted the gracious invitation of our friends Leonardo and Ercilia to stay with them in Livorno, Italy.  They were fantastic hosts and showed us the Tuscany Region with the insight of local residents.  It is truly and enchanted place with a history that an American rube, like me, can barely grasp.   

The summers in Anacortes invariably teem with family activities.  There are now 18 of us, Websters, Moehls, and Vandershuurs, living in town, and it seems that there is always something to celebrate, a gathering at church, or some festival to visit.  We spent most of our lives living far from family, so this is a stimulating change for Pat and me.

Pat and Don

Some of the clan at the formidable Anacortes 4th of July Parade.

Cousins at the Texas gathering: Ryan Gallagher, Carla Webster, Eden Gallagher, Ryan Gallager (Texas), Jean Gallagher.

Carla has just moved to a very suitable house two blocks from work and an easy walk for taking Kobe to Golden Gate Park.  Eric and Irene moved to Sunnyvale this year, a 40 minute drive, so Carla has enjoyed being able to hook up with them on occasion.  Carla likes to ride her Suzuki 750GSXR to save fuel, and occasionally rides the twisty road above Palo Alto to the famed Alice's Restaurant for breakfast.

 Six months ago they moved from Pasadena to Sunnyvale where Eric started work as a financial analyst for a company which deals in high tech patent infringement cases.  Yesterday, Irene started her first day as a financial analyst for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.  Initially they seemed to have mixed feelings about moving to the Bay Area, but increasingly they are finding it interesting, with many new places to explore. 

Eric and Irene at the Toroko Gorge, Taiwan.

Actually, they are good sports about many things, and I can't tell you how many people in this small town have told me how much Dick and Flo have been a source of strength to their lives.   Mom is in her sixth year of fighting Parkinson's, and yet despite physical discomforts and frustrations which would discourage the hardiest of people, her focus is steadfastly on our Lord and she is not dissuaded from finding ways of helping others who find themselves in difficult situations.  Dad deals with the inconveniences of a body more stately than it once was, but his mind is quick and he still has that wonderful curiosity that is hallmark Dick Webster.  I learn something new about the universe, or the forces that control the atom, each time we visit.  He finds himself mentor to our family and to many others who seek out his well founded wisdom.

Flo and Dick Webster

Don with grandniece, Michelle.

The theme for Sam's 40th birthday was the rebellious 60s.

Debryn, Tia, Sam, Don and Pat.

Christmas is nearly here and we're ready for the next chapter.  We want to thank the many of you for being in our lives and for your love and support when we really needed it.  

May the Lord bless each of you this Christmas and in 2009,

Don and Pat

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31