Dear Friends and Family,

Our prayer for you, especially at this time of year, is that Christ might dwell in your heart by faith. If He does, you have reason to have a Merry Christmas. The baby Jesus grew up , died on a cross and rose from the dead that you might have just such a “Christ-mass” (Christ celebration).

Another year has passed and it has been a special year for us. It has also been a year of sad and happy events. I will begin with a happy event that we had been looking forward to since March 2007 when we decided to sell our home in New Milford; We moved in to our new home in Naugatuck on May 10, 2008. If you have ever built a home, you know it is analogous to birthing a child with the associated pangs and resultant joy!

Sadly, just weeks before we moved in to our new home, Kathi’s dad, Perley Robinson, died of cancer after being diagnosed the summer before. He will be remembered as an aviation enthusiast, helper, good neighbor and good man. In October Kathi lost two uncles. Uncle Les Albee was her mom’s only brother/sibling. Uncle “Hump” Haagsma had a positive influence on Kathi when, as a young girl, she occasionally visited him and his family. We suffered a forth loss when Henry Rose, the husband of Kathi’s sister, Sandi, died of cancer just after Thanksgiving. We know he leaves a big hole in the Glastonbury community and in Sandi’s heart. As these men have passed into eternity, I am reminded to pray “Show me, O Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life”.

Our children are spread from Michigan to Great Britain, so it is always wonderful to see them and our grandchildren. In July we visited with our daughter, Beckie and husband, Jeff Tromp, in Grand Rapids. It was good to play tourist, hang out with them, and swim in the lake out their back door. A highlight was a Dune Buggy ride at Dunes National Park.

Our son, Hap, wife Lori , and children (Austin-12, Hannah-8, Holly-4, Heidi-2 and (as of Dec 5) Hudson in Virginia are the closest (an eight hour drive). In March I visited to see Austin, move up from Cub to Boy Scouts. Family visits here included a trip to the Maritime Museum in Naugatuck, a day out at Quassy Amusement Park and learning to play games on the Wii. We will be with them for Christmas and get better acquainted with Hudson.

Joel, wife Tammy and children (Elena-6 and Josiah-4 in Jan) were with us here for both Memorial Day and the 4th of July. We enjoyed a duck race, a children’s museum, swimming at the lake, a day at aunt Sandi’s berry farm and a day at the zoo. Most recently, we enjoyed Thanksgiving with Joel and family in England.

2008 has been a year of Milestones for Kathi and me too. We celebrated Kathi’s 60th Birthday with sixty friends and family members at the home of Jack and Wilma DeKorne. Kathi was blessed and honored by those she loves and cares for.

We also celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary this year enjoying a weekend at the Sugar Loaf B&B in Sugar Loaf, New York. It was a wonderful weekend in which we enjoyed great breakfasts at the Inn and visits to the Storm King Art Center, the Rockefeller Estate and a ferry ride down the Hudson River from Newburg to West Point

Although we did not attend Hal’s 40th College Reunion at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, we did enjoy attending his 45th High School Reunion in East Hartford.

All of these milestones helped us realize how blessed we are in every possible way! We realize life is fragile, but the same Lord who has blessed us will continue to be with us in all of our tomorrows “for better of for worse”.

Moving from our apartment in Danbury where we lived while our home was being built meant leaving many good friends and a church fellowship where we were blessed and where we served for a decade. We have special friends that we will never forget and some we still see on occasion. However, we made the conscious decision to live and worship here in Naugatuck. The good news is that we have been welcomed into a wonderful new community and church family. We have great neighbors, new friends and a warm and caring new church family. The Lord has special servants in Bob Butkus and his wife, Mary, who have, together with other faithful individuals and couples, established Christ the King Church.

Our intention is to serve the Lord at home, in our family and with the fellowship at Christ the King. Having said that, we ask that you pray for us as we have been appointed Men’s Leader and Women’s Leader in our fellowship. We have a plaque on our entryway that quotes Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”. Although that expresses our desire, it is God’s grace that makes it happen.

Let me close by offering our home to you as a place to stay if you are traveling in or through Connecticut. Our home is always open to you.

We wish you a Very Merry and Blessed Christmas and Health and Happiness in the New Year

Love, Hal and Kathi