Diary of a Transplant (San Diego to Asheville/Hendersonville/Brevard) (Black Mountain: weddings, to buy)

[Researching Retirement]

Originally Posted by the Parkies

We hope this post will help someone. (Please let us know?)

At our Thanksgiving table, we’ll remember ALL of you who have become our "virtual" friends!

Jan (and Bill)

Jan (and Bill),

I'm so happy things are going well for you both (well....other than Bill having to do all the windows!). Thanks so much for the posts. It is great to hear the happiness and excitement in them. I'm especially glad to hear that you're finding more things to do and feeling more comfortable with H'ville since we're still leaning toward that direction. It gives us some more confidence that we'll fit in and find people that share similar interests, activities, and values.

Have a truly blessed Thanksgiving.....and Thanks for Giving all of us your experiences to enjoy and enlighten.

[Father John]

For those who offered prayers, thank you. My sister-in-law's brother died tonight of complications due to liver failure. For those who think drinking and doing drugs is fun and doesn't affect anyone except the person doing it, I am here to tell you it isn't true. It affects a lot of people.

I have a sister who is going to be in the same boat in just a few years if she doesn't stop. I took her daughter for a while and now her daughter is living with my brother and sister-in-law - yes, the same one's who lost the loved one tonight.

God brings the lessons of life in so many ways.

Again, thank you for all the prayers.

[the Parkies]

We're so sorry, Father John and Laura! It's especially hard to lose a family member during the holiday season. And you're right--I'll bet there's hardly a family in America these days that isn't directly or indirectly hurt--or devastated--by drug or alcohol problems. You must be a great comfort to your family. You and they will remain in our thoughts and prayers!

[the Parkies]

I've been sequestered, practicing a hammered dulcimer part in the MESSIAH for tomorrow's 3:00 PM performance at First Presbyterian, 699 North Grove, Hendersonville. It is presented in a big, beautiful church with some 35 musicians and up to a hundred singers, I think, and is free to the public. Practicing it for hours and hours every day this week has felt like a continuous prayer, a sort of Christmas vigil.

I've never had the opportunity to perform with orchestra before. Which reminds me of the original theme of this thread: Who could have thought... when we arrived here seven weeks ago, that I'd be invited to join a MESSIAH orchestra??? I am NEVER going back to San Diego!!!! We're not even visiting this year for Christmas--we'll visit our family in PA instead. Wow. For us the reality is BETTER than the dream!!!

On to Hendersonville Community Theatre, then back to practicing........

Stay well, stay joyful!!!

Jan

[Father John]

Jan, just wait until I get there! NEXT Christmas might be FUN! Ho Ho Ho!

[the Parkies]

And I know you're not kidding, Father John! Hey, I'll take you on--LOL! I'll play Christmas carols on the dulcimer while Bill hands out song sheets, Laura leads the singing, and you get visions of sugar-plums dancing in heads. We'll have a BLAST!! I can hardly wait!!!!

Love,

Jan

[a2zmom]

Father John, I apologize for the late-ness of my post, but your family has my sympathies.

Jan, don't know if you will see this in time, but I was reading the Community Calendar for the H-ville Times-News and saw this for today...thought you would be interested:

"Jeff Robbins performs, using unusual mountain instruments, at 4 p.m. at the Fletcher Library. Free."

[the Parkies]

Thanks, a2zmom! Unfortunately we have a lot of catching up to do today, after dedicating all of last week to prepping for the Messiah last evening--which was wonderful! wonderful! wonderful!

[a2zmom]

Glad you had such a wonderful time doing it...I'll bet it was great! Hoping that this leads to many more opportunities for you!

[the Parkies]

It already has! We've met eight new people as a result of offering to be part of this Messiah. And one of them is a flutist who wants to get a group going......

Thanks, a2zmom!