SEASON�S GREETINGS!
December 10, 2002, 4:36 PM

Well I think it's only right that I post a run down on all the crazy junk that has been happing in my family over the past year, and seeing as my mom has just written the christmas letter telling everyone the same things, it's seemed smarter to me to just post that.



SEASON�S GREETINGS!

Yes, December is upon us, once again, along with the annual Brown update. This year has definitely brought us a lifetime of ups and downs. Through it all, we have hung in together and have come to truly appreciate �boring�. Never again will any one of us complain of an uneventful life.

Kevin has asked that I begin with a warning. For those of you who cry easily, grab the tissues. If need be, skip this page and go directly to the end. Happy news was not in abundance this year.

We started the year with my Mom recovering from cancer surgery. She spent most of last December (including Christmas) in the hospital dealing with what turned out to be a cancerous mass on her bile duct. The operation was very lengthy and involved removal of the bile duct, half the pancreas, much of the intestine and part of her stomach which was used to rebuild the missing organs. She ended up with diabetes and a very restricted lifestyle for the first part of the year.

Needless to say, the experience was very hard on Dad. We put his failing health down to stress, but in April, it was clear that there was more going on. He eventually was diagnosed with a torn mitral valve, two blocked arteries in his heart and an aortic aneurysm. Surgery was slated for early Fall.

Naturally, our jobs could not be the haven we needed. February saw the province wide teacher�s strike and King Ralph�s back to work order with the accompanying stripping of all working conditions. To say we were angry is most definitely an understatement!

Late in February, Geoff was complaining weekly of various symptoms that we put down to a bad cold, homesickness and finally, allergies. Thank heaven he chose to ignore us and pursued the allergy diagnosis. In May, the allergist ordered an X-ray to determine the cause of his limited breathing abilities and found a 10 cm mass in his upper chest. A biopsy confirmed non-Hodgkin�s lymphoma. There followed many tests and doctor�s appointments, six rounds of chemotherapy, four weeks of radiation and a big reshuffling of his school load. He chose to stay in Waterloo and deal with it on his own, although Kevin & I made a flying trip in May and a longer one in July to be with him.

Cancer struck, yet again, when Kevin�s aunt in Toronto underwent abdominal surgery in March. Her chemo treatments were only a month behind Geoff�s. Fortunately, we were able to spend some time with her, as well, this summer.

Kevin, meanwhile, was taking advantage of numerous vacancies for principalships that came open and furiously applied and interviewed, unsuccessfully, five times. I took June off to deal with everything and to try to get some semblance of order back in our lives. Things were starting to level off when Dad�s aneurysm burst in August and he passed away. We are still coping with the suddenness and the gaping hole his loss has ripped in all of our lives.

As we started to get back on our feet in September, Stephanie revealed to us that things had not been right for some time and that she was undergoing counseling and taking medication for severe depression. Apparently, the situations with Dad and Geoff had just sped up a process begun years ago.

Following that, enrollment at my school was far below projections, meaning the loss of some teaching staff. The partner I had come to lean on through the Spring was declared surplus and I was left alone and floundering. Kevin applied for another promotion and was rejected, yet again.

Things finally slowed down in October and we plugged on, looking for the best whenever possible. Then Kevin�s brother called with the news that his nephew in Medicine Hat had passed away after a twenty year struggle with cerebral palsy and various complications. We came home from the funeral to find that my mom had had a severe bout of pancreaitis and was in the hospital, yet again.

Coping is too difficult. We have spent the latter part of the year on auto pilot. No longer do we claim that it can�t get any worse. Prayer is now more than a daily event.

Despite everything, there have been many bright spots. We cling to them and give thanks that we do indeed have the strength and resources to be there for those who need us.

Geoff is finished all formal treatments and has sent the joyous news that he is considered to be in full remission. It now becomes a waiting game as he continues with tests on a regular basis for the next year. He will resume a full course load in January, continue with his co-op program in the summer and will graduate with his class in April 2004. His fortitude, work ethic and positive outlook are amazing to us all. We are so proud of him and thankful that he is so strong. He has found a young lady to be serious about and we like her, too! He will be home in two weeks to spend the entire holiday season with us.

Steph has been a rock. She has been able to put her difficulties aside to be there when we needed her to listen, house sit, drive people and just be our �little� girl. She has found the strength to face her problem and has been very proactive in dealing with it. The medication appears to be working, as smiles and jokes are coming to light more often and her three year relationship with Patrick continues to develop. She has found an optimal course load at university and is eagerly pursuing drama and film studies. At present, her desire is to become a stage manager, although she is starting to lean towards the film industry - we�ll see!

My mom is moving along slowly, but surely. It never fails to amaze me how time is such a healing balm. She is beginning to step out of the house, contacting old friends and making new ones. She is learning to be alone and to enjoy her own company. She is careful of her health, but she, also, has been cleared of any cancer and is doing very well at controlling her diabetes. Now that she is home from the hospital, Christmas is to be at her house and we will laugh, cry and indulge in many fond memories together.

Work has taken an upturn. A very healthy raise was granted to us all by the arbitrators, meaning that Kevin & I can commence with long awaited basement renovations. Look forward to invitations for wine tastings once our wine bar and �gentleman�s club� are completed in early Spring! I have ended up with an unusually small class for the first time in twenty years and am really able to enjoy most of them daily. Kevin received word just yesterday, FINALLY, on try number seven, that he has been accepted and is now the principal of Greenview School. He will start in January and, while the position holds many challenges, he is ecstatic about the promise of a new beginning.

Finally, the glue that has held us together is all of you. Trite as it sounds, your messages and encouragement were there whenever things seemed darkest. Whether it was a well timed prayer, a card, an e-mail, a phone call, flowers or food, the offer of a place to stay, a dinner out, help around the house, care for my boy and girl when they were down or just an ear to listen, we would not have made it without you. Bless you all! The little things truly are what mean the most.

Wishing you the very best in health and prosperity for the coming year. You deserve it all and more!



Yup that's it, well ok now you know, you're up to speed.

Later Days,
Blaze

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