Riggins Family Christmas Letter 2014

(From Mike and Linda.  Click on the pictures to see bigger versions.)

We had a year of blessings, for which we are deeply grateful. We did experience one hard thing in our extended family—about which we cannot properly speak in an open letter—but on balance we  continued to know grace and love. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped make this happen.

We sold one piece of property and bought another. The new place has nice frontage on Round Lake, three miles northwest of Interlochen (about 10 miles from where we now live). It is a small lake, but does not permit public access or motorized boating (perfect for us). The neighborhood also connects to the extensive Lost Lake trail system maintained by the Michigan DNR. We have signed with a contractor and nearly finalized the design for a new home there. We hope to sell our current house, break ground in the spring and move in before Christmas of 2015. 

(Taken on Gunlock, not Round, Lake)

Mike's mom had successful surgeries on each of her shoulders and achieved a goal: to walk all the way around the path surrounding her retirement community. We enjoyed staying with her recently, sharing memories of A. Pat. They would have been married 60 years Thanksgiving Day.

A number of Riggins and Jeffers at Thanksgiving

Earlier this year Mike's brother Dennis married his beloved friend Katie. Together they hosted a bountiful Thanksgiving meal. It was made all the more wonderful by Katie's strength in the midst of her continuing struggle with cancer. She truly is Katie Strong, an inspiration to many.

As Dan wrote, they learned from a pro.  (Pro on right)

Linda's parents did celebrate their 60^th that same day. The whole family gathered for games, toasts and food. Jerry and Betty gave each household a copy of My Journey, an anthology of his poetry. One of Linda's favorite titles is, “How to Milk a Soy”. She especially loves the poem he wrote for her 50^th birthday, an unknown number of years ago.

The original four.  Not to be confused with the Original Six.  (Hockey fans may now feel smart.  For once.)

Dan, Dan's mom, and some famous guy at Dan's white coat ceremony.

Dan started medical school at Einstein College, a branch of Yeshiva University in the Bronx, New York. This follows a two year fellowship at the Food and Drug Administration in D.C., from which we helped him move last summer. We have (perhaps temporarily) borrowed his dog, Brianna, a pit bull type whom he rescued from a shelter in D.C. She is an A+ dog and beautiful to boot, as the picture above testifies.

 

Laura and her husband Sam continue to live in Carmel, Indiana, a suburb of Indianapolis. She teaches kindergarten in the local public schools; he will start a new job as a financial adviser next month. He is excited about it not least because it requires only a ten minute commute. They just finished an extensive remodel of their lovely home. We look forward to inspecting it when we visit for her Indianapolis Symphonic Choir Christmas concert later this month. 

The incredibly cool (by which we mean cold) ice caves that formed last winter on Lake Michigan 500 yards from shore

Linda's business continues to offer as much work as she chooses to take. The church has had a good year, bouncing back from the Deep and Wide (see what I did there?) economic recession, which haunted us here longer than elsewhere; and from certain issues common to any church. It is good to see numeric confirmation of an impression Mike has long had: this congregation is on the comeback trail. It has a great core of faithful and gifted people. It truly is a gift to serve Christ beside them.

May this season of gift giving in Jesus' name prove all you might wish for—and more.

With much love, Mike and Linda