How I See It: Reflections on spirituality, technology, and the art of everyday life

  Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self, so I can share with you some of what the last year(s) have brought me. I am very sorry it’s been so long since I last sent out a Christmas letter. This is going to be the first Christmas Letter I've done that will only be available online, either the people I know are online or have passed away, so I'm only going to do it this way from now on.  Many things have happened during those years, and here is a quick update to bring you all up to speed.   2017 After I wrote my 2017 Christmas letter, I received an email from one of the singles sites I was on. It seemed someone wanted to meet me. We met for the first time on December 9th. Her name is Dawn. She’s a retired Nurse Practitioner and very shy about being written about, so I’ll leave it at this: she and I are still together, living in Vancouver. 2018 In February, I took a vacation to Maui. ...

Christmas Letter 2017 Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share with you some of what the last year(s) have brought for me. I don’t mean to make skipping a year a habit, but shortly after Thanksgiving last year something happened that I do not want to go into here. Suffice it to say, I did not feel up to writing this letter, so I missed an update for 2016. I hope to make up for that now. Most of what has happened during the last two years has been medical, so I will report on that at the end. When I last wrote, my father had passed away. So in January of 2016, I went back down to LA for the funeral (with Phoenix). These were her first two airplane flights, and she was a trooper. The rest of 2016 was rather boring. I made a couple of trips to Seattle and the coast, went to work most days, and lived the boring life of an adult. 2017 was a little more eventful. We started the year off with a big snowsto...

Christmas Letter 2015  Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share with you some of what the last year(s) has brought for me. I’m very sorry that last year I did not finish my letter. Frankly, my health issues have been getting worse and I simply did not have the energy. Please accept my apologies. I will quickly try to update you on the past two years. Sad to say, the largest change in my life is that my father passed away shortly before Thanksgiving this year. He was 74. I will be heading down to LA in January for his funeral. In 2013, I was in Mazatlán, Mexico for Christmas. I do not speak Spanish, but I did learn one word on that trip: Mazatlán is Spanish for DUMP . Let’s just say it was an awful trip and leave it there. I traded in my 2005 Toyota Prius for a Nissan Rogue. I wanted a car that was easier to get into when I’m having hip or leg problems, and one with modern safety features like a ...

Christmas Letter 2014  Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share with you some of what the last year has brought for me. This year I am celebrating Christmas for the 53rd time in my life. This year I will be home for Christmas, so I am hoping for a white one. Last year I was in Mazatlán, Mexico for Christmas. I do not speak Spanish, but I did learn one word on that trip: Mazatlán is Spanish for DUMP . I was so disappointed. I wonder if I will ever head to Mexico again. It was noisy and crowded, and the house we rented felt like a prison — complete with guards across the street watching us and telling us not to use the A/C. We christened the house Casa de Cockroach . I had to rent a car, and it seems everyone there learned to drive in New York. It was very little fun, and I am afraid that trip was a dead loss. When I last wrote, I was hoping to do some comet viewing while I was in Mexico, but the c...

Christmas Letter 2013 Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share some of what the last year has brought for me. This year I am celebrating Christmas for the 52nd time in my life. Normally, I would be wishing for a white Christmas, but this year I will be in Mexico on Christmas Day, so the closest I’m likely to get is the sand on the beach near the house we are renting. When I say we , I am referring to my friend Mary — more about her later. Since I’m going to Mexico with someone , I will not be hanging my traditional bikini by the fireplace (in hopes that Santa will fill it). I would definitely have to say that of the years of this millennium, this one has been one of the best. Not that it hasn’t had challenges, but as I sit here writing on Thanksgiving Eve, I find that I have more to be thankful for than in many years. Phoenix, my service dog, is coming along in her training. I just wish my health were...

Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share some of what the last year has brought for me. This year I am celebrating Christmas for the 51st time in my life, still hoping for a white Christmas like my first year at Heathway in New York, or like the one a few years ago (when I was much too sick to enjoy it). And yes, I still wish I had someone to share it with. I do, however, have a bikini hung by the chimney with care in case Saint Nick wants to fill it. It has been another interesting year — and as the Chinese pointed out, that can’t be good. The biggest news of the year, as most of you already know, is my service dog Phoenix. I got her in April when she was eight weeks old. It has been challenging, but we are doing great, and it’s wonderful to have her here. She is a service dog in training, and the training takes about two years to complete. When we’re done, she’ll be able to help me walk when I’m hav...

Christmas Letter 2011  Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share with you some of what the last year has brought for me. Frankly, I am very surprised that I am writing this letter at all. Last year I did not think I would make it to this Christmas — but you never know. If I had to give a name to the year that is ending, I would call it the year of change and anxiety . After I mailed last year’s Christmas letter, I received news that my Pater Seraphicus , Weaver Stevens — my Teacher, Mentor, Spiritual Guide, Guru, Priest, Analyst, and friend — had passed away. Weaver was one of the major forces that shaped who I am, and I miss him deeply. I am very thankful for all the writings he left behind, the videos we made before he retired from the priesthood, and most of all the memories, guidance, and wisdom he shared with me. The greatest compliment I ever received was something he said to me over twenty ...

Christmas Letter 2010  Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share with you some of what the last year has brought for me. Frankly, I am very surprised to be writing this letter at all. Last year I didn’t think I would make it to this Christmas — but you never know. If I had to name the year that’s ending, I would call it the year of change and anxiety . After I mailed last year’s Christmas letter, I learned that my Pater Seraphicus , Weaver Stevens — my teacher, mentor, spiritual guide, priest, analyst, and friend — had passed away. Weaver was one of the major forces that shaped who I am, and I miss him deeply. I am grateful for his writings, the videos we made before he retired from the priesthood, and most of all the memories, guidance, and wisdom he shared with me. The greatest compliment I ever received came from him over twenty years ago. I had asked whether he thought I should try to become ...

Christmas Letter 2009 Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self — to share some of what the last year has brought me. If you remember the old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times,” I thought last year was interesting. But this year has been a real test, almost beyond any I’ve faced in a life full of challenges. In fact, considering all the events of the last ten years, I’ve decided to write off the entire naughts and move into the next decade with the hope of turning things around and building a new life for myself. While writing the first draft of this letter, I found it so depressing that I had to sit down and rewrite it completely. I could go through a long list of all the horrific things that happened to me in the last 12 months — but this is supposed to be a Christmas letter. I’d rather look at the year in that light. (If you’d like the gory details, I’ve published a lot of them on Facebook, ...

Christmas Letter 2008 Dear friends, It’s my custom this time of year to share the gift of self—to tell you a bit about what the last year has brought me. The happiest surprise was finding Facebook and reconnecting with so many friends. If you’re not on it, I recommend it—it feels more “grown-up” than other sites. As for the year itself… you know the Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” That about covers it. But here’s more. The year began bittersweet. On Christmas Day I looked up from writing and saw snow—a light dusting, but still snow on Christmas. I was thrilled, then sad, thinking how much Linda would have loved it… or how our never-born children would have loved it. In February my old friend Mike Auerbach (since 2nd grade) visited to give me “hanging out” lessons—skills he thinks I’ll need to meet someone new. I wasn’t a great student. I’m following my mentor Weaver’s advice instead: “No hurry. Let the right woman find you. Make yourself beautiful wit...

Christmas Letter 2007 Dear Friends, It is my custom at this time of year to celebrate with my friends by giving them the gift of self—to share with you some of what the last year has brought me. Most of you know the big event of my year, and if I did not let you know when it happened, I am sorry. I did my best under the worst conditions imaginable. This year started out pretty normal. Linda was happy at her new job and doing very well. She was supposed to visit her family in Texas for New Year’s Day, but bad weather postponed the trip until mid-February. For her birthday, I took her to the Boreas Bed and Breakfast in Long Beach, Washington. When she woke on her first day as a forty-six-year-old, she told me she was surprised—that she had never believed she would live to be forty-five, and now that was behind her. In March, I had a major setback in my recovery from my neurological problems. For several weeks I had to use a cane because my left side was so weak I needed...

Christmas Letter 2006 Copyright © 2006, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway III Dear Friends and Family, We’re sorry we didn’t manage to get a Christmas letter out last year. We were overwhelmed by events and hope you’ll forgive the silence. This year we’ll try to bring you up to speed — the Reader’s Digest version of two very full years! When we last wrote, Linda had returned to school to become a Certified Medical Office Assistant. In May 2005 she graduated. In August she joined the Vancouver Clinic but was laid off in November. Soon after, she joined Open Advanced MRI part-time, and in September 2006 she began full-time work at our local hospital’s Pain Clinic — a job she truly loves. Unfortunately, in May 2005, while visiting family in California and Texas, Linda developed congestive heart failure. Thankfully, with treatment she’s doing very well now. That summer Linda got a new car — a gold Toyota Prius — and she loves her “spacemobile.” She’s also taken up making ...

Christmas Letter 2003 Copyright © 2003, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway III Dear Friends and Family, Another year is coming to an end, and as we look back, we both want to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. With the year’s close, we’d also like to give you the gift of ourselves—so here’s a little about our year. As the year opened, we snuck off to Hawaii for some much-needed rest. Not long after returning, Linda was hospitalized for over six weeks. She doesn’t want to go into details, but it was a very serious illness—touch and go for a while. Much of spring was spent helping her recover, and she continues to make progress every day. During the summer, we celebrated our second anniversary with a weekend at the coast—a little place we know called Otter Rock. We had a wonderful dinner in their dining room. It’s the only restaurant we know of that serves sparkling apple cider, so we shared a bottle. With eve...

Christmas Letter 2002 Copyright © 2002, By Odell & Linda Hathaway Dear Friends, Another year is coming to an end, and as we look back, we’d both like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. With the close of the year, we also wanted to give each of you the gift of ourselves, so we thought we’d take a moment to share some of what’s happened in our lives this year. There are no major changes this year like there were last year. We’re both still living in Vancouver. The biggest change in our lives has been the adoption of a dog. Her name is Dakota. She’s part Collie and part German Shepherd—and all affection. We were going to the pet store to look at a fountain they had when Linda saw her and instantly fell in love. Of course, Odell has always wanted a dog, so two hours later, we adopted her! The rest of our family is doing well. Trillian, Minnie, and Samantha still don’t always get along, but what can you do? Thi...

Christmas Letter 2001 Copyright © 2001, By Odell & Linda Hathaway Dear Friends, Another year is coming to an end, and as we look back, we’d both like to take this opportunity to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. With the closing of the year, we also feel we’d like to give you the gift of ourselves, so we thought we’d take a moment to tell you about what’s been happening in our lives this year. The biggest change, of course, came in August with our wedding. It was just beautiful, and we’re so happy that so many of you were able to attend. The time we spent with those who came was wonderful. We’re so grateful for all the helping hands and hearts that made our day so special. Our hearts and thoughts were with those who couldn’t make it. Immediately after the wedding, we were off on our honeymoon—a cruise of the Caribbean—and we had a great time! We visited five islands and enjoyed Curaçao the most. It was our first cruise, and we know ...

Christmas Letter 2000 Copyright © 2000, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway III Dear Friends, I’m very sorry that I was so busy with planning the wedding and everything that I didn’t manage to get my Christmas letter mailed until January—but I don’t want to lose touch with you, so here goes. Well, another millennium is almost over, and somehow we’ve managed to survive a year of Y2K, global warming, Survivor , Who Wants to Be a Millionaire , politics, and Chad. Another thousand years draws to a close, and we stop to look back all the way to the birth of a small child just two millennia ago. As the year and millennium close, I find myself looking back and wanting to share some of it with the people I consider my friends. As last year was ending and we were all facing the supposed end of the world due to Y2K, I wrote to you about a wonderful woman named Linda and how I was in love with her. But the fact that she lived ninety miles away made things difficult—and, let’s face it,...

Christmas Letter 1999 Copyright © 1999, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway III Dear Friends! I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a happy year 2000. It’s hard to believe that another year has passed and that we’re looking at the end of the millennium next year (the new millennium starts in 2001). This has been an eventful year for me. I spent most of it working on the Y2K problem. Fortunately, I’ve completed all my upgrades, and all my customers are safe to start the 2000s. This spring, I had a rather serious accident. I was mowing the lawn in my backyard—I have a stream back there and have to lower the mower over the edge to cut the grass. While I was doing this, my left leg slipped out from underneath me, and my body pivoted around my right knee. It was very painful, to say the least. I managed to avoid going to the doctor, but I could just barely walk for weeks and couldn’t go upstairs using that knee. I had to use my good leg to lift myself. This really...

Christmas Letter 1998 Copyright © 1997, By Odell Sneeden Hathaway III My Dear Friends. Well, it seems that we're approaching another Saturnalia, and with it the joys and memories of the holiday season—a time to remember old friends and look back on the year that’s coming to a close. This year for me has been, compared to the last few, a quiet one. No moving to a new state, no buying a new house, and unfortunately no falling in love. In 1994, Weaver and I were talking, and he suggested that I should find someplace new to live—someplace to put down roots. I think I really surprised him when the next week I announced that there’s no place in L.A. to do that, and I was going to move to Oregon. It’s been four years—years of some of the greatest change I’ve been through. This year was the year for putting down roots. In meaning and in reality. I’ve done a lot of gardening this year. I have a new hedge in the back by my stream, and in the front there’s a new Norway m...