Dear family and
friends,
I write to you from the future, 2030
to be exact. Sure that sounds like a random year to all of you, but to me(Ben)
and my wife, this is the first year that our house is empty of kids. You might
notice a little extra Holiday Cheer in this letter as this is a great time in
our lives! But we do miss the kids, all 4 of them (Dear God….I hope not all 5
of them!). They grew so quickly and we
have made so many memories. But I don’t want to spoil some of the crazy and
amazing things that happen after 2013, so I will just catch you up to date on
what has happened during 2013….
Jackson: This guy had the strangest year of
all. He ended the school year in 2nd grade and started 4th
grade in the fall. Wait, what about 3rd grade? I taught him 3rd
grade over the summer and he skipped ahead. It was a huge decision and one that
no one took lightly, but in the end, it was the best decision ever. Although
middle school will have its rough moments (spoiler alert!), being nearly 2
years younger than his classmates has not been a bad thing. He still got
straight As in his first quarter of school and loves his teacher and new
friends and new challenges. He also made a USSSA baseball team and he is
officially a Red Rock Rebel. He is all sports, all the time. Plays them with
friends, plays by himself, watches them, and collects sportscards. But in 2013,
he is still a Hawkeye fan. But like most kids, he does get smarter over time
and eventually becomes a Cyclone fan. J
Abby: Convinced she should skip a grade too, she
continues to impress her present time parents with her education. She is in
first grade and is a “voracious” reader and many times reads her Dad’s middle
school text books for fun. She loves to play teacher and finds disciplining the
kids the most fun (she will make a great Middle School teacher someday!). She
even scared the custodian out of the room when he interrupted her afterschool
class she was “teaching”. She played soccer again this fall and is quite the
softball player. She loves to sing and has made it so her father can never
listen to SportsTalk Radio again. But he is just happy that she is not in to
Boy Bands….yet (2016 is going to be rough for her parents!). She has more
emotion than the other 3 boys combined and more ups and downs than the stock
market, but her laugh and smile are one of a kind.
Quinn:
Where to begin with this guy. I know this is a spoiler, but he is currently
paying his way through college by doing stand up comedy. He is doing what his
Dad always wanted to do, but never had the guts to do it. Luckily, his Dad
helps write his material for his shows. This career really started in 2013 when
he became the funniest guy in the family. He has great comedic timing and has
lightened many stressful home situations with his humor. He became friends with
his stuffed animal Safari this year despite losing him several times daily. He
loves everything about his life: Daycare with a great family friend, playing
with his siblings, doing chores, and learning his alphabet and numbers from
Abby, the teacher. He is the family’s first IPad kid and even does Yoga on an
app. But that is Quinn…whatever he feels like, you might see him doing.
Sullivan (Sully): The baby of the
family is off to college now, using up the last of the money his parents saved.
While empty nest life is great, eating Ramen Noodles for dinner each night is
not. Sully got to college after a great educational career. It all got jump
started in 2013 when his 3 older siblings helped teach him to walk, talk, and
play games. Oh, and dance. Sully likes to dance. He also LOVES dogs and cats
and will usually pet the cat with “nice pets” until he gets bitten. He’s not a
“voracious” reader, but he does have a “voracious” appetite. I would guess his
body build makes him a natural football player, but I won’t tell you if this
leads to a Division I scholarship just yet. But he keeps his parents busy. His
Dad may joke that 4 kids was the tipping point and he will never again be
“unstressed”. But it is a good “stress”. Sully doesn’t sleep through the night,
is up at 5:52 a.m. EVERY morning like clock-work, and gets sick more than all 3
kids combined, but he is still the baby of the family (“Baby Sully”) and we
love him! Probably somewhat due to his bright blue eyes and adorable dimples.
Wow….that
is a lot. And Ididn’t even get a chance to talk about Reagan and I. But at age
54, we are both hoping to retire soon and get our life started….again. Looking
back at 2013, we were very blessed. We both continue to work and love our jobs.
Reagan at Mercy Clinic in Pleasant Hill and I am at Carlisle Middle School as a
counselor. We love our church community, our country home development
community, and our family all being local in the Des Moines area or mostly in
Iowa. We travel back and forth more each year to more and more practices and
school events, but hey, that is parenting right?! And even though the year is
2030 and the house may feel “empty”, we know it isn’t. We know the memories of
our kids and family is in our home and we know our kids will come and go (but
they will always GO!). And we know God and Jesus are also always in our home.
That is why we have such a great family and are so blessed…God is always watching
over us. Even in the rough times…even more so! Helping our family understand
this started when this family started, but Jesus’s message and purpose started
at Christmas with his birth. And no matter how crazy our life with 6 family
members gets, we know life is really as simple as the birth of a baby in a
manger 2030 years ago. And keeping it simple is what makes this family so
strong. Love, support, fun, laughs, and time…..the things that got this family
to 2030 are very simple and Christmas is a good reminder of how Jesus and his
family are at the center of the Barry family. We hope and pray that everyone
receiving this letter are safe and simple in 2013 and every year up to 2030. We
are blessed to have all of you in our lives. Oh, one more thing….hop on the KC
Royals bandwagon and buy stock in environmental companies…you will thank me in
17 years!
Merry Christmas and God Bless this
Holiday season!
Ben from 2030, his
family: Reagan, Jackson, Abby, Quinn,
Sullivan (ages 25, 23, 20, 18) Plus Bo, Jangles, Blizzard, Avus, and the fish
(all still alive in 2030….somehow. Don’t analyze the plot…just go with it)
10980 Cleveland
Trail, Norwalk, IA 50211, 515-480-3939 or 515-306-1415)
