Home
 Activities
 Christmas Letter
    Christmas 23
    Christmas 22
    Christmas 21
    Christmas 20
    Christmas 19
    Christmas 18
    Christmas 17
    Christmas 16
    Christmas 15
    Christmas 14
    Christmas 13
    Christmas 12
    Christmas 11
    Christmas 10
    Christmas 09
    Christmas 08
    Christmas 07
    Christmas 06
    Christmas 05
    Christmas 04
    Christmas 03
    Christmas 02
    Christmas 01
    Christmas 00
    Christmas 99
    Christmas 98
    Christmas 97
    Christmas 96
    Christmas 95
    Christmas 94
    Christmas 93
    Christmas 92
    Christmas 91
    Christmas 90
    Christmas 89
    Christmas 88
    Christmas 87
    Christmas 86
    Christmas 85
    Christmas 84
    Christmas 83
    Christmas 82
    Christmas 81
    Christmas 80
    Christmas 79
    Christmas 78
    Christmas 77
    Christmas 76
    Christmas 75
    Christmas 74
    Christmas 73
    Christmas 72
 Music
 Writing
 Diet
 Recipes
 Genealogy
 St. Louis LGBTQ History

Contact: Facebook.

Christmas 89

December 20, 1989

(Pictures are clickable; backspace to return to letter.)

invitationThese Christmas letters do accomplish one thing—they help me to organize the pictures in my scrapbook. I'll have a picture of Stephen and Stephanie and myself along with all the animals. We look pretty happy, but you can see on our faces that this has been a year of challenge. There certainly will be a snapshot of Stephanie and her friends graduating from Rosati Kane High School, one of her reception at St. John's College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and another one of her and her friends sitting around our Christmas tree.

There's a picture of Stephen sitting at his computer, trying to unravel the final dealings of the International Graduate School. Certainly, a couple of him holding Leonard, our cat, and saying "I love you, kitty!" and walking Molly, our dog. One of him going off to work with Ed, who has a cleaning business. And there is a snapshot of he and his mother in her new retirement home, where he went to help her get settled in October and November.

Steph and Alison cook The dinner
Stephanie and Alison cook for us. The dinner, with Sarah

There are lots of pictures of me at work. Sitting in the new $200,000 computer lab that I will be directing, giving talks in Milwaukee and Peoria, and looking at an article that was published in School Arts recently. Maybe some anonymous photographer caugh me at my hobbies—drawing at the Missouri Botanical Garden, or trying to learn a Marian McPartland riff on the piano. There's an occasional photo of me getting a chance to perform my songs for a captive audience.

There'll be a snapshot of mom and dad, both of whom have recovered nicely from illnesses, and of my nieces and nephews who are growing up so rapidly. Vicki's two oldest boys have girl friends now, and Tom's twins are going to be teenagers soon. I'll certainly have a whole series of pictures of my "old high school gang" traipsing through Amish country in Ohio this summer.

Mom and Heidi Adam
Mom and niece, Heidi Danielle Adam Andris
Mom and Dorothy Dee's family
Mom and Dorothy McFarland Kay, Sarah, Dee and Joy

There'd be some sad memories in this album. Two funerals—one of Father Charles Bewick, a priest at Trinity Episcopal, and one of Byron Davidson, a very important person in my life. Both died of AIDS. Both received funerals at Trinity.

Lots of pictures of Stephen and I doing things together: playing and singing Italian songs, going for walks, participating in the life at Trinity, or looking through the snow over the Central West end through our front window. You'll see us spending a week in Michigan and another with Agatha, Stephen's oldest friend, in Iowa, where he helped her put her new book in final order. there are photos of the two of us with Sheila and her daughter Kate, most every weekend. And a picture of our 5th anniversary dinner with two other couples. For many months now, the two of us have got together with Jan and Charlie for A Course in Miracles weekly meeting.

Leonard
Stephanie and Stephen
Sheila and Kate
Sheila and Kate
 
Leonard Catkin Christmas at Sheila's

 

There are some snapshots from my family album this year. I think it looks very nice. I guess it's been a good one. I hope yours was, too. Happy New Year!

Love,

Jim

Ed. note. I include this picture of me from that year. I think I look silly.

Jim