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

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...

The lay of Alyintitton and Valareinhildë. Dedicated to that 1st little girl I fell in love with and will never forget. Elbereth, oh Elemmíre, my hope and my despair. Long ago you rescued, me you raised me to the air. Deep and dark my life had been, bereft of woman's care! Until I heard you call to me, like sunshine through the air. Conflict it stirred deep in my soul, a son of Surak's line. To love was not to be for me, even if that love were thine. For years I hid my self from you, what torture I endured. None should know my hidden truth, the secret that I hid. No Vulcan hart did beat in me, it was a man's instead. Long ago I laid it down, I thought that it was dead. But deep in side it called to you, with wonder and with dread. Then at last I set it free, to search for you my love. I saw your face, it felt like heady wine. To me you were a goddess, much more then human kind. Like Lúthien Tinúviel, you seemed to me divine. In beaut...

How Do I Say “GOODBYE”? My beloved, how do I say “GOODBYE”? How can I let go of you? It took me so long to find you—years alone, searching, wanting, yearning. At last we found each other. God, I loved you so. The touch of your hand, the light in your eyes, the wonder of your mind. Finally, I was not alone. I had a friend, lover, woman, and child all in one. I loved you more than words can say. How do I say “GOODBYE”? How do I get up every morning without you there? How do I sleep every night without feeling you near, whispering “I love you” as you fall asleep? Why should I, when all I want to do is cry and die! How do I say “GOODBYE”? So many dreams we shared, so many hopes are gone. Your future is gone—and you have stolen mine. You were everything to me: my love, my life, my wife. How do I say “GOODBYE”? For years my everything was the struggle to keep you alive—the fight to keep you safe from yourself. How do I deal with the failure, the loss, the pain? ...

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 ...