Spafford Christmas Letter - 2008 What a special privilege we have, once again, to celebrate the birth of our Savior. During this season of gratitude and reflection, our wish is that we all rejoice in the gift of family, friends, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the holidays and all through the New Year.
We have had another fiendish year health-wise. After five months either in the hospital or rehab facilities, our Christmas Card picture is my Welcome Home. I was thrilled to be back home after these bouts to fix my right knee for the third time. It has been a time of anxiety as one doctor said he didn’t think he could operate again on my knee. So, Sterling did some research and found a doctor in Salt Lake (Dr. Marc Mariani) who said he thought he could put it together one more time. (Since surgery fell two days after my 75th birthday, many thought it was the best birthday present I could receive). Through it all, I feel I have had blessings from on high throughout the healing process. Then, too, I have had the most wonderful "care giver" in the world. Sterling has been fabulous. We have each taken our turn when needed.
That experience seems to have taken up a huge chunk of our year. Because I was incapacitated we were unable to spend time in our summer haven - Laguna Beach. We hope to make up for that next year with my new knee taking me through the sand right down to the ocean. That will be awesome.
Grandson Derek Whitney graduated from Ponderosa High School (Parker, Colorado). Grandson Jake Spafford graduated from Alta High School (SLC, Utah) with high honors and is attending BYU in Provo, Utah (Thomas S. Monson Scholarship). Wow!
We had two grandsons get married this summer. JD, son of Susan and Dale Buxton, married Kallie Harrison of San Diego, on July 5th while in Laguna Beach. Another grandson, Adam Spafford, son of Michael (deceased), married Tynette Iverson on August 16th in our daughter, Susan’s, back yard in Oakley, Utah. It was a peaceful, serene, and romantic setting. They honeymooned in our condo in Laguna Beach. During the summer, other members of our family took advantage of the condo in Laguna Beach and loved the ocean and the beach.
Dare we try to celebrate Thanksgiving again in Palm Springs, California, where two years ago, Sterling suffered a heart attack, had triple by-pass surgery and then broke his ankle? We think we’re going to spend a few weeks there again. We’re hoping to share this time with my sister and her husband (Roy and Arline Arnold) who live in Whittier, California. That’s always a plus for me.
It is worth noting that on December 28, 2008, Sterling and I will celebrate our 55th Anniversary. We’re getting up there, aren’t we?
We cherish this time of year and send warmest thoughts and best wishes for every happiness throughout the holiday season and for a very Happy New Year.
President and Sister Spafford
P.S. We always look forward to our missionary
Christmas photos, cards and letters at this time of year.
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