Holiday Greetings from Southwest Florida:
We are like you getting ready for Christmas and New Year’s Day
Season. The house and lanai has been decorated with lights, bulbs, and
trinkets. The Christmas tree is up and the scent of pine is in the air from the aroma of a
burning country pine candle. As we opened the many boxes, each container is
filled with wonderful memories of Christmases past. We have so much to be
thankful for. We are a little older and a little slower, however, we manage to
keep busy. Here are some examples of our busyness:
Last May we made a trip to Virginia to visit Bill & Melanie. For the first time we didn't have to drive but we flew via U.S. Airlines. This saved us a couple of days of traveling and with gas prices being so high it was more economical to fly.
We had a delightful time examining their new house and performing some projects that need to be done. Installing fans, switches, lights, etc. We saved some time to eat out and do some shopping. We enjoyed sitting on the front porch and watching all the cars, people and wildlife. The house is five bedrooms with four baths. It's large enough for guests with lots of privacy. We received plane tickets from Bill & Melanie to have Christmas in Virginia this year. This will be our first time North during the winter season for the past seventeen years. We're trying to find our winter clothes now and get ready for the big event. We can't wait!
In July we flew to Iowa to visit Lisa and spend some time with her. She
had a few projects ready for Dad. Repairing doors, resurfacing the
driveway, and building a retaining wall to name a few. Of course, we
enjoyed eating out at the area restaurants. We were treated to a
delight luncheon at one of their famous restaurants.
It was truly more than a dining experience. The "Galleria De Paco" Restaurant
is located at 622 Commercial Street in Waterloo. Rosic Paco, a graffiti
painter, born in Sarajevo in 1979. emerged to America in 1992 and left his mark
of expertise on the ceiling of this famous restaurant. This twenty-seven year
old Bosnian, while lying on an industrial scaffolding with his legs dangling 12
feet below the ground painted the ceiling with over 2000 cans of
Krylon spray paint. Krylon sponsored this artist with paint totaling over
$9,000.00. Rosic's vividly beautiful recreation of Michelangelo's work on
the Sistine Chapel is worth a visit. After the initial awe you can order from
the European menu of elegant eatery. Luxurious ingredients presented in a
Euro-American fusion and sheer artistry makes the meal a memory to cherish for a
long time. Take a moment and visit the work of a Graffiti Artist at
"Galleria De Paco".
The weather in July was ideal. Lisa lives on a quiet street and her house
has a front porch which was one our favorite spots to sit.
The Upholstering business continues to supplement our monthly Social Security. It doesn't seem possible that we have been in business seventeen years already. We were able this year to secure a .com address for our business. I have listed that address at the end of this letter for your examination. Here is a photo of us showing off the completion of reupholstering a goose neck rocker. The present housing market has affected our business greatly, however, the Lord continues to provide in a wonderful way. Just when we get one job completed He provides another. It seems that we always have something to do whether in the Shop or around the house. We also have a fabric show room in the Shop with over five hundred books of fabric samples and keeping them up to date is a major chore. It seems that prices are changing weekly. With the rise of disposable furniture the reupholstering shop is going the way of the cobbler shop. We praise the Lord for "custom" upholstering like boats, cushions, restaurant booths, etc.
Our military reunion this year was held in November at the Holiday Inn Ocean Front Resort at Cocoa Beach, Florida. This location is just across the State and very accessible to us. The 2008 Markab Reunion will be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We will probably visit Lisa at the same time. The USS Markab is a Destroyer Tender, a floating machine shop that services Destroyers. I have posted a web site for sailors and interested persons to become familiar with this vessel. The address is at the bottom of this letter. Over the years we have made many friends that served aboard this ship. This year the group visited Kennedy Space Center. It was a perfect time of fun, fellowship and delicious foods. We enjoyed an evening at the Dixie Crossroads Restaurant in Titusville where Seafood was at its finest.
In 1993 we became involved in ministering the Gospel in an adult community of snow-birds over the age of fifty-five. Folks from all over the United States and Canada come to Florida during the winter months. Our responsibility is conducting church services, visiting the sick in hospitals and in their homes. Throughout the winter months we have special groups come into the parks and present gospel concerts. This is always a special time. This ministry has grown tremendously since them and now we have two parks, Fountain View Park and Raintree Park. Fifteen years later we continue to pastor from November to May. Our attendance ranges during the season from one hundred and fifty to over three hundred and fifty each week. We have cultivated many wonderful friends and have many cherished memories.
You will probably receive many gifts this Christmas this Season. Some will be clothing, electronics, and gift cards. Many will be very expensive while others will be less expensive. Some may even be classified as “cheap”. What kind of response will you have when you open each package? How do you measure the value of a gift? How do you measure the value of God’s gift to you?
God’s Gift to you is measured by the COST. God has given us the most precious gift he could possibly give – His Son.. Words are inadequate to describe this love. That’s why Apostle Paul said; Thanks [be] unto God for His unspeakable gift”, (2 Cor. 9:15). Our redemption was motivated by His great love for us. “But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Romans 5:8).
We hope you will pause and thank God for His Wonderful Gift as well as for all the gifts you receive from your loved ones. If you have a minute sign our Guest Book.
In His Wonderful Grace:
Pastor Bill & Janice
