Family Letter, 2006

Hello Friends and Family
This year again we have a story of what we do as a family and so here are a few pictures what we have done during the year. So far for the last five years or so we have managed to get together in July for Christmas but we always manage to make it in December too.!!!!

And of course her latest bit of work and quite a feat that was too! Taegan Everly Anne Griffith, little girl, born November3, 2005. Weighing 7lb. 15 oz. Father-Richard was very brave and was there for the whole two days. They were very excited when we knew it was a girl because all along we just "knew" it was a boy!!. She is named after each of the grandmother's, although Richards mom has passed away since last year.

This year I did a wedding cake for someone and the poor guy fell through my porch. It was very delapitated already and for some reason I thought it would last the winter or something. So I tore the old one down and fortunately for me I have a son who is a capenter. We all chipped in our money together and built this over the weekend. And again lucky for the the weather held out until the roof was only on for an hour or two and it just poured rain. Here it is...... and I better not forget to mention we got all the lumber from Danny McCreery's mill. It is a cedar flooring and pine otherwise. Lots of varnish is going to go into this one!

Curt is working for Target in Calgary, for five years now. He has added another 50 lbs to his weight lifting machine. For transportation he is now riding a GIANT Warp mountain bike up and down the hills for a 30 minute jaunt to work, but a couple of those hills take up half the time to get there, and back every day. He will have to admit that somedays he gets tired and the guys feel sorry for him and give him a ride home. But all in all he is in pretty good shape, tries to eat healthy most of the time. He still lifts 85.400lbs or so of cement every day by hand. The picture on the right is him holding the porch beam down or is that actually Pegasus racing thru the air!!!!. He helped Clint build the porch also. His main asset is his long hair.

But this guy has a heart of gold also, he helps his co-workers in need, gave his mom a bike also so she could ride to work, which I will tell you about later. He got his car impounded and gave the $300 charge to charity and won a hand held PC which he gave away. He gave away a cell phone and helps his dad also with different things. the boys have been to Hazelton twice this year and Powell River twice and on to Saskatoon and back to Calgary. They could almost write a song!!

Mindy Schwartz, Clints girlfriend, they are building a kyak together and chase each other all over Lacombe!! Clint loves to help the soup kitchen ladies cook, hand out cookies, and is a deacon in the church, he is still playing his saw when ever he gets the chance.

This picture was taken at our regular July Christmas at Clints house where he stayed in Clive. It was so nice for all the family to be together especially with Jaimie as she works very hard and cannot always travel when we are ready to. She makes the family complete. Along with Josie who is a very active and bouncy three year old now and talks as one who is six!

Jaimie has had a very tough year as a bout with cancer is just about drawing to a close. She has had laser surgery and now she will will have regular check ups to keep everything in check. Josie has had trouble with ear infections and had to get tubes put in. But other than that they have kept the smiles and positive outlook on life to keep them going. Jaimie will visit us finally in May and hopefully we can give you more pictures to look at.

My old car finally gave out, the odometer had turned over three times already, but one day it drank too much oil and the dealer gave me $1000 for it. I traded it in to a 2005 luxery model OPTRA. This has been a really good little car, even lots of leg room for my dad wich is pretty good. But, too bad for Bob, he has to stay behind the fence still. Someday I will get a truck and he can ride in the back.

Well there is not enough space for all the pictures. I am doing Women's Ministry again for the third year. It is a lot of fun and the ladies enjoy the crafts and cooking. We are sponsoring some students in africa this year thru FACE. As I mentioned earlier Curt bought me a bike to I would ride it to work and for most of the summer I did when it wasn't raining. That was a lot of fun too as i was beginning to shed a couple of pounds. My garden did quite well--it produced lots of peas, beets and parsley, some carrots and beans. It was too rainy to produce much else.

The picture on the left is in Sept when she was first brought into the hospital at Powell river with the boys there. She had Curts hat on and the first time she ever wore a cowboy hat. It was a pretty funny mment. Three months later [middle pic] and feeling much weaker and still in a lot of pain but still smiling.

The one on the right was only a week before she passed away. It was much the same look she had the day before she passed away. She could not talk but whispered out a word. S he looked at me and said that there was some hand cream on the table. I asked her if she wanted some. No she said it is for you!!! So i put some on and it occurred to me that she would like some, So with tiny drops so as not to hurt her skin i put some over her brow and face. We smelled it and it was so nice. Linda had given it to her. She looked at me with a twinkle in her eyes and said I love you Buff, I love you Buff. Then smiled a dentureless smille that was so beautiful.

In her pain she gave me confirmation when I should have given that to her. But it was such a selfless and wonderful moment. The next day she was gone.
June i, 1931 to Dec 29, 2005.

This is her brothers and sisters taken a few years ago on the left.

This is it people! May God bless you in the new year and may you live to encourage one another. Thank you to many friends and relatives, family who helped to do this and who sent emails . I want to close with one of my favorite Bible verses Psalms 150, the last one i read to mom before she passed away:

Praise ye the LORD.

        Praise God in his sanctuary:
praise him in the firmament of his power.
         Praise him for his mighty acts:
         praise him according to his excellent greatness.
          Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:
         praise him with the psaltery and harp.
         Praise him with the timbrel and dance:
         praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
         Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
         praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
          Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD

Someday again she will be able to dance and sing and have no more pain. Someday we too can have that joy ..