Dear Family & Friends,

Our family is the third generation to carry on the tradition of an annual Christmas photo and letter—a tradition begun by my (Gretchen’s) paternal grandma, Mary, decades ago in 1957. In March of this year, when Grandma turned 89, she wrote her last letter to her extensive mailing list, telling them about her recent diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma cancer. In April we traveled to Oregon, and I was able to spend a few days at Grandma’s bedside. Ten days later, our precious grandma Mary went Home to Heaven at exactly 89 years and 1 month of age. Our family returned to Oregon in early May for Grandma’s burial (Daniel was a pallbearer), and again in August for her memorial service. Grandma prayed for each of her 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 27 great grandchildren by name, every single day. Now she is face to face with the One Who knit each of us together and knows us by name. Until late November last year, Grandma walked 2 miles a day, 6 days a week. Now she is walking on streets of gold.

“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). May brought a new nephew here in Washington (born the day after we buried Grandma); October brought a new niece in Oregon. We’ve watched loved ones walk through diagnoses, treatments, and life challenges this year. But in the midst of the grief, the Lord gave us reminders of His faithfulness. Merritt and I celebrated our eighteenth wedding anniversary in May. We saw the solar eclipse in April, then the Northern Lights for the very first time in May—and again this fall! We spent Thanksgiving with my parents and ushered in the Christmas season by attending Handel’s Messiah as a family.

I still work from home 4 to 5 days a week. In August, I enjoyed a delightful weekend of literary adventures in Minneapolis with the Read-Aloud Revival team. We visited the Kerlan Collection of Children’s Literature and toured the home of Maud Hart Lovelace. I have the best co-workers at RAR and enjoy working with them as well as for my own clients. The Lord has been good to give me friends and church family to pray me through this year. I find I’m reading less lately, but I tallied more than 50 books in 2024. Favorite titles included The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay, Hope Like Wildflowers by Pepper Basham, In the Hands of a Fiercely Tender God by Colleen Chao, and Glad and Golden Hours by Lanier Ivester.

Merritt’s year was one of never-ending projects. He farms full time (we get to sell together at farmers market once a week!), makes parts for a local boat company, serves on several boards, and always has mechanical maintenance to do on the farm. He’s enjoyed collecting and restoring several pieces of Craftsman furniture. But his latest project is remodeling the original part of our house into a library/school room. Merritt gets to consume a lot of audiobooks while working, whether in the tractor or the shop. His favorite of the 60+ audiobooks he listened to this year is Tolstoy’s classic Anna Karenina, along with historical titles The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson and The Great Bridge by David McCullough.

Here are our children’s perspectives on the year…

Ruth (age 17): 2024 was a busy year for me. I read over 100 books (including Anna Karenina, The Screwtape Letters, and The Picture of Dorian Grey) and wrote almost 120,000 words, including starting the last in the four-book Young Adult fiction series I’ve been working on. I also started my junior year of high school. A highlight of my school year was taking online dual enrollment classes from LeTourneau University in Texas; I enjoyed English Composition the most. Of course, I worked on the farm over the summer, while balancing cactus murder (I can’t keep them alive!), doing farmers market weekly with my parents, reading and rereading The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower (my favorite series of the year), and baking sourdough bread (75% of the loaves were edible and pretty).

Mary (age 15): This year I enjoyed working in the garden and helping at our farm store. I sold 154 pounds of carrots and 26 bunches of radishes, and I also helped pick strawberries. My favorite books I read this year were Straw Into Gold by Hillary McKay and The Codebreakers series by Roseanna M. White. I enjoyed listening to The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Mooses with Bazookas by S. D. Smith as well. I ran two 5k races, placing third in my age/gender group in both. I participated in the VFW Voice of Democracy audio essay competition this year and won first at post level. I wrote over 41,000 words this year. 

Daniel (age 13): I have enjoyed raising my flock of chickens, working on our family farm, and tending my own garden with various flowers and vegetables. I also liked hiking and running in local races as well as participating in a local class discussing current events with other homeschoolers. My favorite book I listened to was Come On, Seabiscuit! by Ralph Moody, which is about horse racing in the early nineteen hundreds. I have also enjoyed trapping gophers, along with hunting deer and turkeys.

Sara (age 9): I enjoy crafts, art, puzzles, gardening, and climbing trees. I like running and having jump rope contests with my siblings. In the winter, I enjoy sledding and snowball fights. My favorite book series this year included: Little House on the Prairie, Mary Poppins, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Little Women, and Andrew Lang’s Rainbow Fairy Books. Other favorite audiobooks were The Ordinary Princess (Kaye), Letters from Father Christmas (Tolkien), A Little Princess (Burnett), Aunt Sass (Travers), and Who Was Amelia Earhart? (Pariseau).

This Christmas season, we’re clinging to these truths from Scripture captured in Handel’s Messiah:

“Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows… I know that my Redeemer liveth… O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Worthy is the Lamb that was slain… Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.”

Because He Lives,
Merritt & Gretchen; Ruth, Mary, Daniel, and Sara

Photography Courtesy of Hannah Acheson