Dear Family and Friends,

It has been a couple of hard weeks for us and many of you have been so thoughtful with calls and e-mails. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers while we go through our first holiday season without Chris. I think that we had been doing pretty well, until Thanksgiving week. The holidays and cold weather seemed to bring loneliness and sadness that can only be filled by God’s love and the joy that my children bring me each day. There is almost always a pit in my stomach, as I wake up each day to face another day closer to Christmas without him. The events and activities of the season are so difficult to face without Chris close by. But, we are blessed and remember that he is in a beautiful place, spending Christmas with Jesus this year.

Please continue to pray for our family as we face all of these feelings that the holidays bring. As you can imagine, I have spent a lot of time trying to sort through our business matters and house projects, over the last few months. I have learned so much, thanks to the help of very special people that have walked me through each different obstacle. Please pray for me as I prepare for a court hearing Dec 11th to probate Chris’ will.

The last few weeks, our grieving has been increased, as we have experienced two deaths in the last week. Chris’ former boss, Ralph Luke, died of cancer on Thanksgiving Day. This happened very quickly and we were all so unprepared. Please pray for his wife, Beverly, and the staff of Accent Audio/ Video, during this time of loss. Ralph and Beverly were very important to Chris and a big part of our lives for a very long time. We took our favorite vacation with them several years ago, to Lake Tahoe. I cherish the memories we shared there.

We suffered another tremendous loss on Monday, Nov. 26^th. Chris’ brother, Jon and his wife Jennifer delivered a baby on Nov. 12^th. Caley Brianna was 2 1/2 months early and fought a hard fight and has gone to be with Jesus, due to complications caused by her premature birth. The family is overwhelmed and feel sadness unimaginable. Please pray for Jon and Jennifer and the whole Joyce family as we go through this difficult time. I am comforted by knowing that Ralph and Caley are both with Chris, spending eternity with Jesus. I am sure their Christmas will be more beautiful than any here on Earth.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not unto your own understanding.

Thank you for your prayers,

Mandy