The Mason's 2009 Christmas Letter

CHRISTMAS 2009
This Christmas, Vertis and I will be staying in South Arkansas.
There’s something about Christmas that seems to draw us back to our roots. I can’t think of a place we’d rather be than Corinne, our wonderful home of 35 years…sitting by a crackling fire listening to carols. Then, maybe we’ll ride downtown, where we’ve been heavily involved…it seems like forever… to view thousands of old fashioned, red and green Christmas lights and take a nostalgic ride in a horse-drawn carriages. All of the glitter and glitz of Las Vegas can’t make a Christmas sparkle like a sense of place shared with family and friends
To me, the holidays are always about returning to our roots, seeing family and friends, and reaffirming our wonderful faith. This year will be no exception. Thanksgiving turned out to be one of the warmest and most pleasant times we’ve had with our family in years, as our extended family gathered around the table to give thanks and to enjoy each other’s company.
But, as Christmas approaches, our thoughts are always more than just about family and friends. It’s a time to celebrate our faith, and one of the special ways we do that is to attend a very special Christmas Eve service at First Baptist Church, with candles and carols. If that doesn’t get you in the Christmas spirit nothing will.
This year we have lost friends from illness and tragic accidents, and our prayers go out to those families who are grieving this Christmas. It makes us so grateful, as we approach the new year, for our health and the well being of our extended family.
As Vertis and I approach the autumn of our lives, we are especially grateful for the friendship of so many in such distant places, and, of course, here in Arkansas. Friends are such a integral part of life that I can’t imagine living without them. Christmas calls attention to our lives and relationships, and, as we look forward to Christmas, I can assure you that a life without faith, friends, family, and a place to call home, is surely a dismal existence.
And finally; as the new year approaches, Vertis and I are looking forward to a very special day, January 17th. Fifty years ago we walked out of First Baptist Church in Smackover, Arkansas to spend the rest of our lives together. This coming January 17th we’ll forgo the reception our children wanted to give us, and, maybe selfishly, take a sentimental journey back to New Orleans where we spent our honeymoon. We won’t be staying in a $10 a night Quality Inn and eating Chrystal Hamburgers this time.
Merry Christmas
Richard
Vertis