Christmas Epistle 2025

A delightful family Thanksgiving meal just two days ago, Advent – a season of waiting – starting today, heavy dark clouds commanding the cold wet day, I feel contemplative and in the mind frame to write this year’s Christmas Epistle. 

Are these the best of times, the worst of times, or something in between? Will our waiting find disappointment, contentment, or possibly joy?

This morning’s reading from the Hebrew Scriptures – Isaiah 2:1-5, written around 740 to 700 BCE – described instructions to the nations: “…they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.” Waiting. Waiting for clarity; waiting in hope. Waiting in a warm glow of the blessings of our family.

Pete and Helga continue in full time medical practice, punctuated by leisure time with two wiener dogs and travel. Calvin, working remotely, cannot/will not describe his work assignments for a defense contractor, while Tessa is fully engaged in assignments leading to the DDS at NYU.

Antje continues to grow her monogramming business to periodically overwhelming volumes. Laz has taken on a new managerial position with Mitsubishi including “on call” time off hours. Demetri has another year at Penn State main campus; Alex graduates this year from Penn College as an electrician with a business minor; Katie is completing her first semester in nursing at Fairfield College, Connecticut. 

Paul has scored a new job in quality assurance at Direct Wire, a high tech wire manufacturer; Tracie continues to develop deserts at Sweet Street Deserts for a global market; Mason, 13, plays sports and talks about various career paths.

Amy provides vegetables for our summer diet at Bergheim; I might be “almost done” with arranging landscaping plant materials at Bergheim. We’ve been blessed with two very smart and multi talented workmen who help us with maintenance and upkeep. 

I wish to embed the last paragraph from our Christmas Epistle of 2004, showing first of all, Amy in her stunning outfit at Montecatini Terme, Tuscany, Italy, and thankfully affirming that not a lot has changed for us in the 21 year interval except lens replacements to correct cataracts.

 Everything considered, 2004 has been a tumultuous year. Despite, or perhaps because of  all the ups and downs, we realize how blessed we are to be surrounded by such a family and our professional and faith communities. The sun just arose sending rays of light across the desk and reminding me that to trust in the future is justified even as in faith we are justified by God’s grace. Amy and I continue to live in hope, however buffeted by reality.

We wish you all a blessed Christmas and health in the New Year – 2026. 

From the Newfoundland Barretts, please accept our warm wishes for you to experience a measure of Isaiah’s vision, the gift of God’s grace in Jesus, and peace and joy in your believing.