Merry Christmas 2003, Another year has passed since I last wrote. I hope you are enjoying the season. My holidays started early this year. I recently switched from the United Methodist Church in Rancho Santa Margarita to the Presbyterian Church in Irvine. I sing with the church choir in two Sunday morning services and a small group of us sing for an occasional Sunday evening service. I was fortunate to also sing with a multi-church concert at a Friend’s (Quaker) Church in northern Orange County. I was in the Friend’s denomination some years ago, so this was rather like going back home. We sang several works by Bach, Brahms and others and then we sang nine of the choruses from Handel’s Messiah. What with rehearsals and practice time, I was well into the Christmas season by mid-November.

Starting so early led to an interesting blend between the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. The Christmas message often emphasizes looking forward. The church looks forward to the return of Christ. The choir looks forward to performances. The merchants look forward to big sales. And we all look forward to presents. This year I spent more time remembering to be thankful.

I still jog and ride my bicycle. Not as much as last year, but I am grateful when I can.

I still have a job. What I do for this company changes constantly, but I am grateful for a paycheck.

I have a place to live. I have moved 22 times so far. I am grateful that I have been able to stay in this same apartment for 18 months. How long will it be before my next move – I do not know. But, for today, this is my home and I am grateful to have it.

I am grateful that I have family. Many of my friends have already lost parents or even a sibling. I am grateful that my relatives are in good health and thankful for opportunities to talk with them, visit with them and build more memories.

I have good friends. There are two friends at work that trust me enough to talk about their faith. As I loose contact with friends in one church, I find friends in another. I also had the opportunity to meet and date a few nice ladies this year. I am grateful for my time with friends.

Most importantly, I am grateful that I have faith in Christ. I do not know if my job will continue or if I will continue to live in Irvine. I do not know if I will have time for exercise or singing or dating. But even though these times seem so uncertain, I know that God is constant. What I have for today will suffice. And whatever comes with tomorrow, whether I still have health or job or family, God will be there. What I need to remember is to look back, be grateful and not worry about a future that I cannot control.

Reflecting on my blessings has brought me peace. I hope this has meaning for you as well.

But before I close I will try to answer a question that puzzles many: “what do I do at my job?” What I do today is to act as a liaison or ambassador between the company I work for and our primary customer. I create long lists of tasks and work with people in my company and in the customer’s company to insure that the tasks get finished on time. It helps that I was a programmer and a manager. What I do now is manage much of the communication between our two companies. My title says that I am the Manager of Service Planning. Most of my time is spent being a project manager. What I actually am, however, is one of the globs of grease that lets the giant gears mesh smoothly.

Merry Christmas. I hope you have the opportunity to build many pleasant memories this season.

Robert Perrine