Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas Letter 2011


Hello Folks: a great Christmas and happy New year to you all. Here is a copy of our Christma Letter for 2011.

Most events this year were related to our family and writing. We flew to Montreal in February to visit our daughter and family to keep up with antics of their four year old son, Luciano. We had the opportunity to sign and sell books at Ottawa’s Salem Christian bookstore, who always gave us a warm welcome.

Our third book, Gone with the Spirit, shortlisted the previous year, came out in the spring. It gave us options for our book tables that we manned in Red Deer, Calgary, Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge through the winter and into the rest of the year. You can see all our books at pebblepress.ca or by inserting Bryan Norford in the Amazon search box.

We learned early in the year that Dan our grandson and his wife Joelle were expecting their third child, a son, Jakob, a brother to Norah and Cole. Later we learned that our daughter, Alex in Montreal, was expecting a brother to Luciano. Due early March 2012, he has already been named Matteo!

In April, we drove to the coast, visiting friends in Kelowna and many friends we made over the twenty years we lived in the Vancouver area. On a visit to Regent College, where Bryan received his MDiv, the bookstore manager told us of a system for self-publishing at minimum cost. He introduced us to another Regent graduate in Toronto who was familiar with the program, and we kept that in mind for our June trip to eastern Canada.

During the spring our granddaughter suggested we all pray on Sunday afternoons for family needs. We prayed by conference call as our family was scattered around the world. We recall one Sunday we were in Lethbridge, our granddaughter phoned in from Toronto, a daughter called from Phoenix, another daughter joined us from New Zealand, and our grandson checked in from China! With gratitude to God and the help of others, the needs were met.

In May we drove to Montreal, stopping in Winnipeg where we made contact with our publisher regarding their latest competition. Bryan was writing a new book he was planning to enter. The following two and half days we drove to Ottawa, where we twice signed books at Salem again. That evening we were in Montreal to be with our family.

We settled home for a summer and fall of writing, book signings and family visits. We were delighted to have our eldest daughter from New Zealand in Calgary for October to help her daughter-in-law during with the birth of their third child. We had the privilege of visiting with them all a number of times and meeting our latest great grandchild Jakob.

In November, we proudly witnessed our only granddaughter graduate with a PhD in Psychology. She is our oldest grandchild, leading a parade of six grandsons, and another on the way. Most of these great guys are still eligible bachelors!

We look forward to a blessed New Year, and in January plan to visit our eldest daughter in New Zealand, and to meet our eighth grandchild in March. With a couple more books on the way, it will certainly be busy and exciting.

We cannot help but be thankful to God for the full life we have and the family He has given us. The love of God, grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the abiding fellowship of the Holy Spirit be yours throughout 2012, as we face whatever changes and challenges may come our way.

            Ann and Bryan