Welcome to the end of another year.
The big things this year are that Chuck (Eddie) turned 80 and Janeen moved back home. Even bigger, we had none of the extended hospital stays that marked 2022 & 2023. Instead, we were quickly thrown a cancer scare that ended up being either God’s intervention or an over-enthusiastic lymph node that soaked up enough contrast dye to appear malignant (or both). Unfortunately, the timing overshadowed Jan’s 75th birthday and our 58th anniversary. All follow-up appointments for ‘22/’23 have been good news so far.
Two years of health issues signaled the need for Janeen to return to Ohio. For now, that’s three adults under one roof. In Indiana, the host family was ready for members to occupy the house again. Grandma reports that the boys are excited about their new school, having none of the city angst they were dealing with beforehand. God does these things.
Chuck’s 80th was a succession of small visits that included our niece’s drive from WV and homemade prune cake. At last count, there were 7 shirts, a hat, 2 jigsaw puzzles, 1 wooden puzzle, several gift cards, at least 130 birthday cards, and greetings and well wishes by text and phone. We’ll call that a win. (Jan’s birthday is in March, just sayin’.)
We are thrilled to have Janeen home. She’s settling in with a deaf church in New Albany and starting to attend deaf events in the area. Ministry is still the calling, though things look different. She’s also joined a weekly sewing group and picked up a part-time job at the fabric shop. The search continues for other jobs that offer the necessary flexibility.
The ministry in Indiana is now named Deaf Kids Connect and focuses on networking and mentoring families. Deaf Missions announced a shift in leadership, and we’re confident that they made the right choice (unanimously). DOOR is celebrating 40 years of international ministry. See www.JaneenJarrell.com for more.
We’ll soon see what 2025 holds, as always one day or even moment at a time.
May you and yours find a year of blessings and worthwhile memories.
As Paul Harvey used to say, “now for the rest of the story.” Not that there’s really much more, but there’s only so much that can fit on an 8.5 x 11 sheet with predefined margins. (My one attempt at adjusting the image size didn’t work.)
Health wise, there’s been improvement and a steady status quo for me. The year included getting a new primary care physician who switched me from two insulin shots daily to half a little pill – and four large supplements at bedtime. Mom & Dad have kept their teams of doctors, a shared primary and several specialists, meaning practically every week has someone going to a doctor for some follow-up. Understandably irritating, but so far all reports are good ones. Gout is still a possibility, we’ll see.
That cuts into the travel calendar, to the extent that there hasn’t been one other than Dad’s few trips to work on the extended family place in KY with some cousins. Perhaps next year. I’ve been to TX and IL (Chicago) for some deaf conferences, the next big ones will be in 2026. In Texas, we celebrated the release of the Jesus movie done entirely in American Sign Language. I’m thrilled to have been a part of this celebration as well as the one in 2020 when the first signed Bible (verse-by-verse) was completed. Chicago was a different event entirely, celebrating progresses made in the civil deaf community. Highlights included some captioning glasses that type everything they “hear” on the lens, and an AI generated interpreter that facilitates communication in both languages. Don’t panic yet, my interpreter friends, there are way too many subtleties and allusions in both English and ASL for you to be replaced in most cases.
My time at Deaf Kids Connect (formerly Silent Blessings) is down to occasional feedback on their God’s Word for Deaf Kids videos. The variety of skills I brought to the ministry was what it needed for the time I was there. Handy(wo)man, secretary, writer, tech support, project manager, etc. Now they’re in a shared workspace focusing on what families need to confidently rear deaf children with a foundation of faith. Environment and technical issues are handled by the facility and/or a deaf tech who knows his way around Google (which is neither Apple nor Windows). A team of parents and educators from the deaf community are developing partnerships with content creators. I’ve transitioned into the phase known as “parent care” where the best jobs are the ones where one can say “done” at the end of each workday. ‘Tis the season for temporary employment, and that’s where I’m looking.
This is not to say I’m bored or lounging on the couch eating bon-bons. There’s plenty of house and yard wanting attention, several writing projects in mind, enough fabric to fill a room with quilts and other sewn goodies, and a combined library that would make any small town jealous. In the midst of all this, I still have a strong desire to see certain faith resources in sign language, and I have some of the contacts to make that happen. First, it will take some business writing and assembly of a board of directors who share the same vision. I expect that, and my parents, will be my focus in 2025.
To quote Tiny Tim, or rather Dickens, “God bless us all. everyone.”
UPDATE: light jobs has become a sign up with Kelly Services temps. The non-profit will require a $3k investment just for the legal startup – so that’s a dead end, or at least a road closure for now. Parent care remains a roller coaster ride – if you’ve been there, you know. Meanwhile, Jesus is never surprised.