Kristen’s email address is: kristenrichard1968@gmail.com
March, 2014
Dear Fellow Classmates,
How fun it would be to get together for another reunion, but that will not be possible for me. So I am sending my regards and this update.
Dick is currently serving as President of Christian Medical Dental Assoc. and doing a lot of travel for them which is using most of our travel budget these days and keeps him tied to his computer most of the time he’s not traveling! I am winding down my counseling practice of the last 18 years and praying about what to do next with good health and a passion for people’s heart needs.
We have 7 grandkids ages 18-6. Four nearby and 2 in Florida. We so enjoy being grandparents; so much so that we have a 5 day camp for them every summer. The oldest is the only one graduated from Camp Mimifar so far!
We built a “retirement” home 9 years ago and I keep us busy with ever new landscaping projects, continually promising Dick that this will be the last. Dick officially retired 10 years ago from general surgery but still does colonoscopies at a small hospital very part time. We love to travel and various mission projects have taken us far and wide. This summer after the CMDA international mtg. in the Netherlands we will take a river cruise from Paris to Normandy. I can hardly wait.
God has blessed us beyond measure for all these years. Our three wonderful daughters share their lives and families with us and we have a great church family of 30 years.
I hope to read more from you all and thank Dawn for mustering this reunion….she is always so good at this sort of thing!
Many blessings to you all,
Kristen Van Dyke Johnson
December 2013
What to do with the Thanksgiving leftovers! What a dilemma….not what to do about cancelled health care insurance or what to do after being laid off or what to do about an illness or a house and all we owned blown away….we have been so fortunate that I feel a bit guilty chronicling a year of blessings when so many are suffering so much. How do we reconcile goodness with evil in a world gone so wrong? As I once again start to write a letter to friends and family we want to stay connected to, because friends and family mean so much, I am sobered to consider the inequities in our land. I am reminded that Jesus said we would not fix the evils of our world. But we can offer a cup of water to the wounded in His name, and it will make a difference. So we will continue to ask, what can we do with the health and resources He has given us to make that difference?
Our year began with the home-going of Dick’s mother, Olga. It was a tender time as both Sara and Erica were able to provide some very special end of life care to their beloved Farmor. Dick and I were with her when she passed, and her memorial service was a joyful testimony to the quiet and deep significance of her 95 years of service.
Dick is far from retired. In fact, he started working in a small hospital very part-time just because he can’t seem to face the “R” word! One would think the challenges of serving as president of Christian Medical Dental Association would be sufficient…two elder meetings a week to help in a church crisis…finishing the stairway at Erica’s…oh well, he’s busy and happy. I, on the other hand, find retirement attractive. We’ll see if I can pull it off next spring. I like the idea of a couple of volunteer opportunities and maybe the painting class I’ve always yearned for. We have one last “project” in our landscaping, and hopefully, a big trip or two to look forward to. In October we enjoyed Dick’s 50th HS reunion in Woodstock and were very impressed at what the Academy has become since Axel and Olga attended.
The clan is all healthy and much in our hearts as we get to spend time with them all. Karin was here with Grant & Bella in August for Camp Mimifar and a short time at Heron Island. Grant & Bella make home-schooling sound like the greatest adventure with their art classes, orchestra and field trips. I think they are incredibly fortunate, not to mention the lego competitions and surfing. Eric continues to provide investment advice to seniors Their whole family will be here for Christmas and we will visit them in February.
Sara’s family is in sort of a limbo, deciding whether or not to stay in Bristol or move to So Carolina. Sara has become a home care provider and really likes the new job. Scott is also happy at his new driving job …so why move? Sara made this job change because of her experience with Olga, and we are proud of her for both. Joe is a senior in HS and dreams of an apprentice experience at BMW. He now rides a Harley. He has a lovely girlfriend, and we are amazed that our first grandchild has gotten to be this old!! Leslie is having all kinds of fun entering her teen years, playing with make-up, fashion, home decorating and soccer.
Erica has worked, worked, worked at landscaping, animal husbandry and raising 3 kids all by herself. She amazes us with all her enthusiasm and accomplishments. Elsa has become an avid reader, takes piano lessons and dreams of becoming a horsewoman. Bibianna continues to provide drama and delightful energy to everything she touches. Oscar has almost moved in next door with his best pal, Trevor. There is little he won’t try on a dare, and he almost always wins at arm wrestling with Morfar. We get a big kick out of the rooster crowing and bossing the hens around when we visit.
Now that winter is here we look forward to snow, cutting the Christmas tree in our yard, skiing and knitting by the fire. We are incredibly grateful for all we have been given and the hope of our salvation. Our world may be broken, and we weep with those who weep, but the babe in the manger came to tell us that this is not all there is; it’s only the beginning of eternal life. We wish you all many blessings in this next year. Let’s make it count for something more than our own investment gains.
