Advent
– Christmastide 2023
604
Garrison St NE
Olympia Washington
98506
Dear Family and Friends,
Happy Holidays! As the magical season of Christmas
approaches, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and all the wonderful
moments we have shared together. It has been a year filled with joy, love, and
countless blessings, and we couldn't be more grateful.
First and foremost, we are thankful for our health and the
well-being of our loved ones. This year has reminded us of the importance of
cherishing our time together and appreciating the simple pleasures in life. We
are grateful for every precious moment we have shared with you all.
Our children have grown so much over the past year, both in
size and in character. Sarah has blossomed into a talented artist, spending
hours creating beautiful paintings and drawings that never fail to amaze us.
David has discovered a passion for music, impressing us all with his piano
playing skills. We couldn't be prouder of them and their determination to
pursue their passions.
In the spirit of giving back, our family has been actively
involved in various charitable endeavors throughout the year. We have
volunteered at local food banks, donated clothes and toys to those in need, and
participated in fundraisers for important causes. It has been incredibly
rewarding to see the impact we can make when we come together as a community. …
(Ben now writing) Wait! Sarah? David? You don’t remember
them? Neither do I but I thought I might have Chat AI generate this year’s
annual report. What you see above is the product of the instruction “Write a
Christmas letter.” Chat AI’s family was at least as interesting as ours. Should I be envious?
So these are the actual highlights and lows of the Shomshor
year organized thematically.
Family: Sasha and her husband Sean
welcomed their second child, Rex James Murphy. Rex’s elder sister, Emerson
Joann, is quite pleased with her rapidly growing brother and enjoy’s his
yogurt snacks observing “Rex not like.” Pre-verbal Rex has yet to express his
own opinion. Anton, accompanied by wife Melanie and son Fitz
returned from his tour of duty in Korea as
a Major and now reside near Pensacola Naval Air Station in Flori-bama
near Melanie’s parents. During their relocation they took time with us in
Washington state to readjust. We rented a vacation home near the beach to
share; Sasha and her kids also joined us as did my cousins Gayla and Paula.
I was in my happy place feeding a full
household. The family low point was the death of Marj’s brother and my
classmate Robert (Bob) Heyne in March from esophageal cancer. Bob is
survived by his husband and sisters. In his memory we returned home to serve a
ice cream social with readings of his poetry.
Home: Harvest in Nebraska was only fair, and here at
the Washington homestead moderate. Lots of fruit and juices in the freezer
remaining to be processed. While we no longer house international students we
did house legislative staff and interns last session and will do so again in
January. Marj, when not traveling is in “maker” mode crafting fabulous baby
blankets and custom stain glass panels- most recently, a giraffe and next, an
elephant and koala. When not in the kitchen I’ve been working on a “Legacy Project.”
I’ll not live to know my grandchildren nor they me so I’ve been assembling a
set of gifts and letters for each of them from second grade through high school
graduation. Our great-niece and nephews together with some neighboring teens,
are helping to “beta test” the concept.
Travels: We kicked 2023 off with a visit to New
Orleans with Ric Chantry, the best man at our wedding forty-odd years
ago. Ric also got to meet my family in Mississippi. Highlights included a riverboat excursion,
time at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum for me and at the WWII National
Historic Museum for Marj and Ric, and a professionally crafted Ramos Gin Fizz.
(The Ramos Gin Fizz, a cocktail prepared with frothed egg whites, has been on
my Christmas breakfast menu for many years along with Satsuma Mimosas.) Marj’s
duties as a grandmother had her traveling a quite a bit this year both to Korea
and Iowa. She had the opportunity to see Anton promoted to Major while in
Korea. She also returned with their dog, Piper, whose company we enjoyed for
several months this summer until Anton and family were settled back in Florida. She also attended her 50th class reunion
in Fremont. In September she joined a her friend Valerie Graves on a
relocation road trip to Atlanta where Val is retiring to live with her
daughter. This gave me the opportunity to spend some time at the chicken coop
and complete some much needed late summer pruning in the orchard. Marj joined
me during the latter part of the trip and we flew back together.
We spent most of November back on the road, this time in the
Southeast visiting Anton and family in Florida, friends in Georgia, several
historic sites of the civil rights movement, and wrapping the trip with
Thanksgiving with my family in Mississippi. This was the first holiday I’ve
celebrated with them since I was 6 years old. My special thanks to Tina
for trusting me to prepare the traditional Coca-cola Chocolate Cake.
During our deep south road trip we finally listened to the
audio version of Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop
Café which I highly recommend as an alternative to Marcel Proust. We had
the infamous mayonnaise-based Alabama “white” BBQ sauce, Gulf Coast tamales,
fresh u-pick Satsumas from a local lawn, a sack of Krystal burgers (the
southern equivalent of White Castle), a muffaletta, shrimp grits, beignets, and
boiled peanuts.
Marj and I also determined that Waffle House may be one of
the nicest places on earth. If you’ve not been to this southeast chain
restaurant set aside your foodie snobbery, ignore the mundane décor, and watch
the interactions between customers, between staff, and between staff and
customers. Then consider how nice it would be if Congress behaved so well.
The End of a Tradition: With the help of friends from
Germany (Thank you, Valentin & Marina), family from Mississippi, Val
from Georgia, Sasha and her children, neighbors, and eighty-some guests
we closed out a half century tradition: we did our fiftieth and final chili and
apple pie feed. What started on “A” Street in Lincoln NE after a football game
in 1974 with some Hormel brick chili and part of an apple pie from home became
an annual event with up to 17 gallons of chili and 64+ slices of apple pie. The
first 4 ½ gal. and 2 half sheet pans of
pie went to a tiny house village. The kids are considering carrying on this
tradition. And for those interested I've posted a copy of my “recipe” which I
follow very, very loosely at https://bit.ly/48cdnUS
Pray for peace. Be safe. Be humble. And in the words of the
Chatbot
“(a)s this year comes to a close, we want to express our
heartfelt gratitude for your love, support, and presence in our lives. You have
enriched our journey and made it all the more special. May this Christmas bring
you joy, peace, and an abundance of love.”
Yours,
Ben and Marj Shomshor
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