Christmas 2006~

Dear One And All~

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and every one of you! I hope you have the most blessed holiday season ever, and I pray that the new year is brimming with hope, health, and happiness!

This is Louisiana, as you may have guessed. I hope y'all got the cards (as well as the pictures) I sent; if not, I am sorry, but I did get them in the mail; honest, I did! If you didn't get the cards, I will send you new ones as well as new copies of the pictures!

This year has been full of ups and downs for the Sandusky Contigent. We have adopted two little boys (one from Russia--Vlademir, renamed Corbin Daniel Aleksander--, and another one from Israel; his name is Gabriel Abrahiam). Now we have fifty five children, and there may be more in the near future; already we have received calls about a little girl from China (Mai Fong), a little boy from India (Habir Vijay), and a little girl from Vietnam (Huong Vu). We also got a call about a little boy from Iraq (Emir Muhammed).

We have lost several friends (Daniella Cohen, daughter of Rachel and sister to Maddie and Rebekkah; she was murdered; she was all but five years old; it was a very bad time for them and for us; we are still trying to deal with the loss, especially now during this holiday season; what a terrible Christmas the Cohens must be having!, Opri Johnson, next-door neighbor; he was fourteen years old; he died of kidney failure, and Gertie Habson, who was an elderly neighbor; she lived down the road from us, and she was very well loved by all the neighbors; she was in her eighties), but at the same time, we gained new ones (Jerilyn Lotz from Kansas, Eileen Marie Weston from Texas, and Don Hickmon from Washington State, to name a few examples). I have been writing many letters, and I finally have gotten them all caught up, miracle of miracles! :)

Two of the children (Johnny and Ronee') have recently gotten out of the hospital: Ronee' got out yesterday after a ten day stay (she had a flare up of her JRA and had trouble breathing), and Johnny just got out a few hours ago. He just got home, and he is now in bed, sleeping. He was in for over three weeks, nearly a month; he had a spell with his heart (tachycardic, or rapid, heart rate) and trouble with his breathing. Ronee' was in the regular Pediatrics ward, but Johnny was in the Pediatric ICU for part of his hospital stay, and he had us worried. (Ronee' did too, but Johnny more so.)

Both Johnny and Ronee' will have to take it easy until their strength returns, and both have come home with medications that they will have to take (Ronee' got some new pills for her JRA and Johnny got some pills for his heart, blood pressure, and his breathing). Johnny will have to continue using his oxygen until his lungs get a little stronger.

While I was scared, I am, on the other hand, grateful that Johnny and Ronee' have recovered enough to be released from the hospital, and I am grateful that they don't have to be in during Christmas. Being in the  hospital during Christmas has got to be one of the worst things a person can ever experience! What a wonderful Christmas gift: renewed health for my sick children! :) God is indeed good to them, and He has blessed them by healing them! :)

We have gone to several fairs and festivals during the spring and summer, and Johnny and Ronee' have performed at these places; both were very well receieved; looks like their music careers will be healthy for a while, especially Ronee' 's. We have also gone to an adoption picnic here in Nashville; we go to one or two every year, and we meet other families who have adopted children with special needs. We always enjoy ourselves, and we enjoy meeting new people from other parts of the country (and around the Tennessee/Kentucky area).

Dwerlina is now married; she got married in August; we went to the wedding (held in Lafayette, Louisiana, at Acadian Village). She is married to her boyfriend, Andre'; she has known him for several years; they met while they attended Louisiana-Lafayette. She is set to graduate in the spring of 2007. We plan to be there for that.

We also went to Alaska in September; we went on a three-week long cruise (the entire family went!), and we had a great time. We are already planning for next year or the year after! LOL During our trip to Alaska, we ran into friends Jenna and Michael Doucet (they now have an adorable baby boy named Mattaq) and Sikik Eegeesiak, who lives in Barrow. (Jenna and Michael live in Anchorage.) The cruise was a Christmas present from my bosses last year, and it was worth everything! :)

Our friends in Finland, Sari and Nikolas Constantinos, also became parents this year: in April, they had a little girl they named Birtta Aurora, and they are doing well. They are planning to come to the United States sometime next year, and they promised that while they are here in America, they will stop by and see us. That would be wonderful; I really love Sari and Nikolas! :)

M'Buti, who is the wife of one of my nurses, is in the hospital: she has a kidney infection, and I hear she is pretty sick, the poor dear. I will have to say some extra special prayers for her, in the hopes that she will recover from this without any complications! She went into the hospital yesterday, and when I saw her before, she looked pretty bad. She seemed to be in a lot of pain and discomfort. Meanwhile, poor Roberto is saddled with taking care of all their kids:  they have ten kids, all under the age of ten! LOL

Well, this is all that is new with us right now. I hope that each and every one of you have the merriest of Christmases and the happiest, healthiest of New Years ever! May God richly bless you with all the joy, love, and peace that signifies the Christmas season, and  may you always remember the real reason why we celebrate Christmas: the Birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

(((HUGS))) and much love, your friend in Tennessee, Louisiana Mayrah Sandusky and Family (husband Bill and Kids). :D