Dear Friends:

Moon Shadows

I will try to keep this brief as I know that this time of year, time is precious and I imagine your inbox and mailbox is getting lots of input! Marveen is busy doing the photo page for her annual newsletter and we may actually get some of them out before Christmas. Busy days but a wonderful time of the year. The other night I went out on the front porch about midnight and just stood there in the bright light of the full moon and soaked in the quiet and solitude. I had just finished watching two recorded news shows and was sort of tense inside from all of that. Believe me, ten minutes at ten below zero, watching the stars twinkle, the moon just sitting up there grinning at me…and the moon shadows dancing behind the birch trees in our front yard were just the ticket to get my heart and mind settled down. The lyrics of O Holy Night started echoing around in my mind…but then, Marveen is writing about that so I will move on.

CFM Stuff

2011 has been a sort of mixed bag of a year for me and CFM. There has been no shortage of folks with needs that I have been able to counsel and help along their way. And, I was able to conduct several men’s retreats and conferences this year that were a big blessing. And, then mixed in there was the loss of my good friends and supporters, Sam and Angela, that I mentioned last letter. The other day I got a call from a young lady that had been referred to me for counseling by another counseling agency in the area because she had zero money. She was going through a divorce, had gotten laid off of her job and was depressed, suicidal, and desperate. As I was waiting for her to show up for her appointment, I had one of those very grateful moments when I thanked God for the folks who send support to CFM so we can keep that office open and not let the ability to pay or not to pay be a factor in deciding who I can work with. I want to thank you so much for your faithful prayers, support and encouragement.

Over the past 26 years I have occasionally mentioned (related to finances) that I would always do my best to never over or understate the needs that CFM might have at any given time. I feel in my heart that I have been true to that commitment. And, the Lord has always put it on folks hearts to give at just the right times. At the present, all of the bills are paid and have been every month that I can remember. There is no reserve in the bank…but, every month it seems to work out. Thank you and thank you Lord. As I mention most every year about this time, end of year contributions to CFM need to be postmarked on or before Dec. 31 to be used for your 2011 tax deductions.

This next year

With the dark days of winter upon us here in Alaska my counseling schedule is as busy as I have the time to work them in. Coming up this year I will have several trips to the “lower ‘48”. One will be to Texas this fall to speak for a men’s retreat and the other will be to perform a wedding for a young couple in Wisconsin in June.

Thanking God

There are a couple of things that I want to thank God for. First is that we just got a Christmas letter from Hilmer and Maranna Kiser and Maranna wrote that the doctors are saying that the cancer Hilmer has been fighting is in “remission.” Thank You, Lord. Also, a young mother from Nikiski that we have been praying for that had cancerous tumors in multiple places including her brain has been declared “cancer free!” Wow. And, finally, a friend on the east coast wrote me a note the other day saying that after eight months of being unemployed, SHE HAS A JOB! So, we have lots to celebrate!

“I’ve been lately thinking about my lifetime”

For years, one of my favorite singers has been the late John Denver. From his foot stomping “Thank God I’m a country boy” to some very tenderhearted and expressive ballads, I can listen to his music all the way to Anchorage and back and never get tired of it. The other day as I was listening to one of his songs “Poems, Prayers and Promises,” some of the lyrics reverberated around in my heart for quite a while. Now, bearing in mind that I am not espousing some of the drug using or other terminology in the song, the part that struck me is the sense of gratitude to the Lord I find reflected in his words, “I’ve been lately thinking about my lifetime, all the things I’ve done and how it’s been” and then skipping ahead a bit to “I have to say it now, it’s been a good life all in all, it’s really fine to have a chance to hang around…” I am sincerely thankful to the Lord for the life I have been blessed to experience. It has been a good life all in all. And, it has been “fine” to have a chance to hang around long enough to see my kids grow up and have kids of their own, and to walk through this life with those I love and who love me back. While some of us have not seen each other in many years, “it’s been nice” to have walked and “hung around” with YOU. I hope that somehow in 2012, our paths converge again. God bless you and have a blessed Christmas and New Year.

Your Friends ... Wayne and Marveen