Dear family and friends,
Well,
as I heard many times this year: “this year was unprecedented”. I honestly do
not know what that truly means, but because the year was unprecedented, I’m
going to do something with this holiday card that is unprecedented as well. The
author this year will be me. Ben Barry. Lizzie, our “new” dog wrote the letter
last year but we never mailed it out. Maybe she didn’t know how to address
envelopes or lick them closed (trust me, she can lick). Or maybe we were ahead
of the game and realized by licking 120 envelopes, we could have unknowingly
passed on a deadly virus to our loved ones. Either way, it did not go out. And
this year, our new dog, Nala, could have written it, but she is so spoiled by
Reagan and Abby, she would likely hire the work out to Lizzie and we all know
how that turned out last year. So this year, I am going to do the letter myself
and I’m going to keep it short and sweet (mainly because my brothers are older
and can’t read as well and my wife wants the letter done before 2021 and by the
clock, I have 14 hours left to finish it) So, the letter is going to look a
little different this year….
Jackson: 6 foot tall, reserve on the Varsity
basketball team this year, a goal he has had since he could walk and talk I
think. His next goal is dunking a basketball. 11th grade and taking
ridiculously tough classes. Some I can’t spell or pronounce. Goals to go to a
4-year in-state college with Iowa being the current front-runner. Helps me a
lot at our food pantry. Probably the best big brother a kid could ask for as he
will play football, hide-and-seek, phone app games, or dolls depending on who
is asking.
Abby: Over 5 feet tall and close to passing her mother
in height. Loves softball and volleyball and hopes to finally get a track
season in to test her speed, one of her many talents. Continuing her artistic
talent now by designing and making her own clothing (well, she buys the clothes
and adds the design…I don’t really get how it all works). Seems to make clothes
for everyone but me. Weird. Loves her dog Nala and is the best at helping
around the house and with the kids. Heading to high school next year.
Quinn: Will be heading to middle school next year, but
has to finish 5th grade first. Continues to read books non-stop and
has quite the social group. He’s always thinking and always feeling. If you
need to vent, he is your go-to guy. He’s like my own therapist, better than the
7 that live inside my head. Interested in acting, hanging with friends, playing
basketball, reading, and loving every animal he finds and sees.
Sully: Almost as tall as Quinn now. Still shares a
room with him and now shares clothes with him. Loves basketball and baseball
and he is the one kid who has a passion of card collecting like I do. Famous
for his energetic excited “Let’s Go” shout when anything good happens or will
happen. Loves technology and games….a little too much. Will head to Hartford
next year for his next 2 years of school.
Claire: Still maybe the cutest kid alive. Likely an
adult in a kid’s body, we aren’t sure. No joke, she honestly wakes up with a
smile each day and is known for her phrase (almost every day) “Today is the
best day ever!”. Loves school and animals. Loves to do anything her siblings
do: art, basketball, play with animals, calculus, etc. Even loves to clean.
She’s weird like that.
Reagan and I: Weird year for our professional lives.
Reagan only ended up working from home for about 2-3 weeks. We decided that was
enough for both of us working from home and teaching our 5 kiddos at the same
time. She is back to work now, in fact, will complete her 7th
surgery in the last 34 hours here in a little bit. After “counseling from home”
in the spring, I have been back at school since August and glad to be back and
working with kids. Reagan and I both chose professions in the “helper” field as
that is what we love to do…help others. We plan to keep doing that in 2021.
In closing,
our heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to many of you who have lost loved ones
this year, especially to COVID. It was a terrible year in many ways, COVID and
the deaths and family grief it has caused. While reflecting on this past year
and Christmas and what it all means, I thought Christmas lands a perfect time
in today’s calendar and today’s world. With vaccines coming and 2021 so close,
their was hope and joy as Christmas and 2021 approached. I thought back to life
over 2000 years ago and how dark and tough life was for so many until they saw
the star (we even had the Christmas “star” this year!) and heard of the birth
of Christ. There were many who didn’t believe, but many who did. And this
belief gave them hope. And as the years went on, their hope grew and grew as
they knew good things were happening and good things were going to continue to
come. Jesus’ birth Christmas day all those years ago gave a people who were
living and dying tough lives….hope. And his birth and our celebration of his
birth, along with vaccines and the turn of a calendar give us hope today. May
your holiday be filled with hope and joy and may we all honor the loved ones we
lost this past year by making 2021 a year to give hope and joy to others and
make the time we are living these years the best we possibly can for ourselves,
and others.
Happy Holidays!
The Barrys (Ben, Reagan, Jackson, Abigail, Quinn,
Sullivan, Claire, 2 rescue dogs (1 that is new), countless foster kittens (none
as I type this letter tho), 2 indoor cats (sadly we put Abby Cat down this year
at age 17), and one outdoor cat (Blizzard who is around age 20 we think), and a
lot of mice….not pets.
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