Contact: Facebook.

Annual History of James Andris in 2024

(All images are clickable; hit the back icon to return to newsletter.)

I'm glad that all of my annual letters are online, starting with 1972. When I say that my life is an open book, I can prove it. I started dating Stephen Nichols in 1983, and we got to spend the next almost 40 years together. A lot of that shared life got into these annual letters. Despite some hardship and a lot of illness, I feel that these years were a gift from God, and our family, Stephanie, Dawn, and Sasha, continues to be a blessing and a source of healing to me. I was able to attend Sasha's graduation for St. Andrews Episcopal School in Delaware, and now they are off to freshman life at Williams College in Massachusetts. I was also able to spend a week with Stephanie and Dawn in their new apartment on the 43 floor of a hi-rise in downtown Boston.

Dawn, Stephanie, and Sasha	After grad celebration with Dawn's family
Relaxing on the 35th floor	Watching the Olympics on the 43rd floor

What I've been learning in 2024, is that enough of me still remains here on planet Earth to make life worth living. I love learning; in fact, I had a whole career as a unversity professor based on that. But though I have retired, I still love learning and so I read—the NY Times and the Post, good books, this year by Iris Murdoch, Ernest Hemmingway and Willa Cather. I'm in a film group that meets monthly over good potluck, and in a year's time I see almost all the Oscar nominees for the year. This year I managed to binge all six seasons of the series Northern Exposure, which I hadn't watched before. I still study languages (my version of brain food), currently Italian in connection with the many bel canto songs I learned with Stephen, but also Spanish and German.

I love music, and so every day I play and sing. Miraculously, the IBM (inclusion body myositis) that I was diagnosed with in early 2023 is progressing slowly enough that I will not lose these abilities rapidly. I did give my last concert here at Bethesda Gardens this month to a good and appreciative crowd of 50 people. And I'll see how far into 2025 I can still do open mike ragtime at the Scott Joplin House. Still my doctor tells me that I am a high fall risk, and so I do take a lot of care not to fall.

Those of you who have known me over the years know that I am not a fan of organized athetics and have not frequented the gym. However, because the only treatment available for IBM is exercise designed to build muscle to replace the muscle I am slowly losing, I hit the gym for 90 minutes several times a week. I use several machines and bands and work with a physiatrist, John, and his assistants to get the best use out of my gym and physical therapy time.

And actually, I love people. True, I have my special "soulmate" types of friends that I stay in touch with, but between the 120 residents here at Bethesda, the 150 congregants at Trinity Episcopal Church, and the many good people I know in the LGBTQ+ community in St. Louis, I actually have to make quiet time for myself. I have dinner most every night here at Bethesda, and I deliberately choose to eat at a different table each time (if they'll have me). I try to be in the pew every Sunday at Trinity Episcopal Church, where we have a new rector, Rev. Paul Jacobson. I regularly go to LGBTQ+ events at the Missouri History Museum, which opened a ground-breaking new exhibit honoring our community here in St. Louis, Gateway to Pride. I try to catch every concert of several fine LGBTQ+ singing groups, Charis, Black Tulip Chorus, Band Together, and the Gateway Men's Chorus. And actually, I often find myself renewing old friendships at these events, including old St. Louis neighbors that Stephen and I knew when we lived in the City.

Also my dear friend, Rosanda, tells me she has a pact with Stephen to check on me every day to see if I have misbehaved. I give her such a rough time, but secretly, I appreciate the concern. Not to worry. And big bro has to check in on his little sister and brother, Vicki and Tom, their spouses and now their extensive progeny.

Also, given my age, not a week goes by that some illness, misfortune, or death doesn't happen to someone I know. I've learned to roll with those punches.

This Christmas season, and I am a Christian—so no disrespect intended to my very good athiest and Jewish and Hindu and Wiccan friends, and one looney dude that I suspect is not from Earth—I do respect the Season of Advent, which we are in until December 25. I meditate on the four Sundays of Advent; I try to bring into my life the four values of hope, peace, joy and love, and that, in preparation for the birth of God in human form, a humble infant, poor and innocent.

I know that many of my friends are distraught about the recent victory in which Donald Trump became President of the United States of America. That was not my choice, but the election results did not confuse me about who I am or what I stand for. Now more than ever, we must help, support, comfort and nurture the poor, the sick, our neighbors, and strangers in an even stranger land. We must work for non-violence and peace, even as it seems so unlikely. No voice should be silenced, no sincere effort should be denigrated.

Long-winded as this letter seems, I just looked at my photos for the year, and I see that I left a lot out. I've included a few favorites below. But this isn't a book report so I'll just say

May your new year be full of success, satisfaction, and good trouble.

Love, James "Jym" Andris

P.S.

Palm Sunday with our bishop	Worked most of the year on a history project with Charles and John
Saw a great Matisse show at SLAM	Loved me some springtime MOBOT
Drove to Wisconsin to see Tom and Mary Alice	Honored to appear on a panel at the History Musem with LGBTQ+ community leaders
Went to Tom's 80th birthday bash	Lots of early jazz at the Ragtime Rendezvous
Great Dalî show at MFA Boston	Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston
15th Memorial Gil Fisher Lunch with Cora and Bill	Shoenberg Arid House Opening
Rick and Steve came north for a visit	Tower Grove Pride 24 was fun.
Tip #1: Always sit with the winners	Tip #2: Buy fabulous art occasionally
Tip #3: Resurrect delicacies from your past	Tip #4: Hang out with your kids