Dear Family and Friends!
We hope this Christmas letter finds you happy, healthy, and blessed! As we reflect upon 2011, we remember all the blessings The Lord has given us this year and we thank Jesus for all He has done for us. I just want to share some of these blessings.
In March our family traveled to Florida to visit a pharmacist colleague and his wife who vacations in Lakeport and another couple in Jupiter. We had a blast visiting, and watching the St. Louis Cardinals play baseball during spring training. Toward the later part of the trip we traveled to beautiful Key West. We rode bikes all over Key West visiting the Hemmingway House, Mallory Square, Fort Zachary Taylor, southernmost point of the U.S., the light and light house, and the beach.
Our family traveled to Breckenridge, Colorado, in August for a Rodgers Family Reunion. We spent several days in those majestic and beautiful mountains with our cousins. I am so happy that we renewed our friendships with Kevin, Vicki, and Kathy; those three have a special place in my heart since we were all students at Southwest Baptist University together. We are so thankful our children met the Rodgers cousins for the first time. I am so happy to have met Linda, Blaine and Theresa as well as several other cousins for the first time; my life is much richer now.
We all climbed a 12,000 foot mountain together and our children and other cousins climbed a 14,000 foot mountain on another day. This was a new experience for me, but I am so glad I persevered through all the huffing and puffing and fatigue to reach the top of the mountain. It was worth it all! I am grateful to Cousin Kevin for watching over our children and I am grateful to Cousin Theresa for being patient with me. I was the last one to the top and she stayed with me the whole time. Christopher, our son, has decided he loves all the adventure Colorado has to offer, such as the mountain biking, climbing mountains, and more. I know the family gathers once every three years for this event; however, I hope it will be sooner. Just got to say that I do not think I can wait that long for Linda’s great cooking!
Steve and I have taken amazing business trips to Kansas City, Missouri and to Atlanta, Georgia this year. All I can say is, “We are so blessed!” We have built relationships with so many inspiring and encouraging people. Our lives have changed in so many ways. It has been a dream of mine to make a difference in the lives of people. When people look at me and say, “Thank you. You have given me the answer to my prayer”, I know am doing just what God wants me to do.
Our oldest daughter, Stephanie, will be graduating from St. John’s School of Radiological Technology and Stephanie desires to find employment in the Springfield, Missouri area. Our son, Chris, is taking airplane flight lessons, working as a life guard at the YMCA, and playing his guitar and fiddle. Our youngest daughter, Hannah, will be graduating Home School High School and has aspirations to attend Southwest Baptist University’s Physical Therapy School.
In the picture you see two guys; one is standing by Stephanie, Jeff Hall. They have been dating for three years. Jeff lives in Joplin, Missouri and yes, he and his cousin survived the tornadoes. They lost of most of their belongings, but are getting their feet back on the ground now. The other guy standing by Hannah is Jorden Luthy. They have been dating for a year. We were blessed to witness The Lord saving Jorden and seeing Jorden baptized this past summer.
This is Steve’s 24th year at the same pharmacy location. He is a great guy and has provided for our family very well. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary in June. Life has been wonderful!
For years I have said, “When I get more time, I will write my memoirs to leave behind to my children!” Last summer I asked myself, “Am I just going to talk about it, or am I going to just do it?” I made the decision to write my memoirs, even if it is only one story per week. I post a story on a blog every week just to keep myself accountable. As I wrote and posted, there was something that happened to me that I never considered. I never thought about how much fun all the reminiscing and writing would be. Each of these memories is a cherished blessing! I just look at life with a grateful heart more and more. Each of you has blessed my life in specials ways. I thank God for YOU! The blog address is www.teresa-allyouneedislove.blogspot.com if you choose to read any of the stories and perhaps share any memories you have with me. I would love hearing from you.
We wish you a wonderful and blessed Christmas Time and New Year (2012)!!!!
Steve, Teresa, Stephanie, Chris, and Hannah
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