Merry Christmas!! Reflections on the Wonder of the Incarnation Every Christmas we make new memories and are reminded of past holidays and the loving people in our lives -- those who are near, those who are far away, and those who are only with us now in Spirit. I hope you are having a wonderful Twelve Days of Christmas and that you will receive many blessings in the New Year. May the Lord continue to bless and keep you and all those you love. God is so Good and so Faithful! Every December 23rd we have also been blessed to gratefully acknowledge my parents' anniversary. Mom broke her leg last February and has been in a nursing home ever since, but Dad is with her nearly every day, and this year they celebrated their 61st anniversary. Here is a photo my nephew, Chris took of them:

Last Christmas I was preparing to head to Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, Russia for the over two months I spent there in order to work on my Doctorate of Divinity project. I was blessed to be able to spend time with some United Methodist pastors and the members of their congregations there while sharing a seminar on basic Methodist Christian spiritual practices with them. The photos below are of Pastor Valentina Smagina's Christmas tree in the worship space for the congregation she serves in Vladivostok, and of Pastor Valentina with several church members.

It was a joy to be in Russia again, and I was blessed to be able to finish the Doctorate of Ministry in Evangelism at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., where I spent so many wonderful years. Our Commencement Service was held at the National Cathedral and Krista was there with me!

I continue to be blessed to live in Marietta, Georgia with Krista and her family. Here are some recent photos of Krista's sons: Jude (with Santa), Seth and Noah.

And here is a photo of Tom's kids taken when I was blessed to visit them in southern California in October: Trevor, AJ, Lexi, Colin and Lily.

So those are the highlights of my year. I am so happy to hear from you, too, and hope that you and your family will have a wonderful New Year! Blessings and Love -- Kathy


Kathleen Ware Harris  © 2013
kwharris777@gmail.com