Dear Friends and Family, 

We are delighted to send you greetings (once again) from Southern California. It’s been such an eventful year, more than one would expect in a typical year: job changes, overseas travel, cross-country moves…. Makes you tired just thinking about it! We are grateful for the leading the Lord has provided for us this year and only hope we can continue to grow in His grace as He ceaselessly shows us how much He loves us. This is a season we often associate with hope, peace, and love; what a joy to know these gifts are always ours for the asking. 

As the year opened, we realized we would soon be ending the chapter of our lives in Maryland, as we had made the decision over Christmas to move back to California. We anticipated the move would take place in August and looked forward to being back in familiar surroundings, closer to family, to community. Our time in Maryland was such a learning experience for both of us. Ed finished his fellowship at the National Institutes of Health as a real expert on the endocrine disorder lipodystrophy, with several publications in medical journals. It provided a unique and valuable model for the killer disease diabetes. Gina had many heartfelt goodbyes with patients she had come to know very well during her time in Silver Spring. What insight into private practice! She is grateful for the confidence she has gained by working as an internist for three years and cherishes the professional associations and friendships she developed in the Metropolitan area. 

As moving day loomed closer, we juggled our work duties with packing plans and house sales, and July rolled around before we knew it. Over Independence Day weekend, Gina’s employer sponsored an office retreat in San Juan, Puerto Rico, combining daily business meetings with lovely island excursions. We enjoyed the spectacular mountain vistas, the warm beaches, and especially our expedition to Guánica, home of the Parguera Bahía Fosforescente. It is so named because of the millions of luminescent algae that store up sunlight during the day and light up at night when disturbed by movement. We took a night-time cruise in the bay to experience this phenomenon ourselves. Mmmmm! The balmy night air, the lights on the dock fading as we sailed away to the sounds of the tiny coquí frogs of the bay…. A real Caribbean cruise! We flew back home in time to see, from our airplane, Fourth of July celebrations taking place all over Washington DC. Quite a distinctive way to see hundreds of fireworks. Even better, our beloved townhouse finally sold and we were weeks away from coming back home. 

The end of July was wonderful. The packing was done, the closing date had come and gone, we had bundled off one of our cars to California – and we were on vacation! We packed all the local sightseeing that we hadn’t done in the previous three years into one week. Gina’s mom, Betty, joined us with some friends from Pasco, and the six of us spent a week enjoying all that Philadelphia and New York City have to offer. Our trip ended with an inspiring two days at Niagara Falls – Mom really loved Cave of the Winds where we got up really close to the thundering falls. We even got to see fireworks over a lit-up Niagara Falls at night! By the end of the week we were exhausted from the non-stop action and were ready for our cross-country journey back to Loma Linda. Believe us, it was much more relaxing than Times Square! We stayed with Gina’s brother and his wife, Ron and Edith Cummings, in Texas one night, and the next with sis-in-law Susan Javor in the new Arizona home she and Ron moved into this year. (As per routine, Ron was on a business trip.) 

And then: we were home! True, we had to wait a month for our new house in Redlands to be finished, and Ed’s parents got a lot more of us than they had originally bargained for since they offered to let us stay with them the whole time. But we’re here, and we love our new home. For us, California’s warmth means more than sun and clear skies, it means the open hand of friendship and invitation into worship among family. We are so happy to be back and involved in our University church, especially the music groups! Ed is settling into work in endocrinology (and primary care – but not for long) at Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center. Gina is taking a well-earned and much needed break (we suspect this too shall not be for long). She’s considering starting up Preventive Medicine work again in a rival Kaiser facility down the road in Fontana. 

This year we were grateful for the time we spent with family: get-togethers with great-uncle “Tio” Roberto in Virginia; observing Dad’s sixty-fifth birthday with a surprise dinner celebration in April; educational east coast exploring with Mom; the September wedding of cousin Esther Lopez to Jason Peterson; becoming better acquainted with cousins Kim Brandvold and Carrie and Mike Juneau during their California travels; helping Aunt Marj break in her newly renovated Granada Hills kitchen; home-improvement projects with Uncle Arv and Aunt Diana Silcox to make our house a real home; a very tranquil Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Cummings; enjoying our recent Candlelight Concert with both Javor and Cummings parents in attendance. We had a scare in November when Grandma Harvey took a spill and had to spend the night in the hospital, but she survived a concussion and returned home as the doctors continued to marvel at her 98-year-old vitality. Christmas plans include a week in Pasco with Mom and Jeanine, Gina’s sister, as well as Papi and Mami Lopez-Porras. We can already smell the tamales cooking….  

It has been a year of growth. January opened with such a shock – a killer tidal wave of massive, catastrophic proportions wiped out thousands and thousands of lives in a few minutes. Despite hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, epidemics, and war, we cling to faith in all that is good, noble, and holy. It is our prayer that God’s sweet peace will permeate your life, not just during the holiday season, but throughout the year, in whatever circumstances time may bring us. 

Merry Christmas! 

Ed and Gina Javor