Warm greetings to family and friends as we end another year and prepare to celebrate the most important event in human history:

The coming of christ into our world! 

Peter and I wish you a Blessed CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We are both doing well at this point, but the year might be nicknamed: the year of medical procedures. In June, Peter had nasal surgery for which he is still using nasal sprays every day to keep infection at bay. And his voice still sounds more nasal than it did before surgery. After nursing Peter through his surgery, Judy had her second full knee replacement in mid-July on her right knee and is still using a cane when leaving the house or walking longer distances, for it is still healing. Her Georgetown doctor was not doing surgery this year, so she went to Houston and used her sister’s surgeon and then was nursed after surgery by her sister who happens to be a nurse, so had the best of care. For her, daily bicycling on our stationary bike is helpful, as is a short walk to our postbox on the highway each evening. This is turning into about a year’s worth of knee recovery work for her. 

Judy was so grateful for the 3 post-surgery nurses: first her sister Elaine, nursed her for two weeks at her home in Houston. Then she brought Judy home to Peter and Judy’s childhood girlfriend, Carolen Bergeron came for a week and nursed her; and then our daughter Elaine arrived from Calgary, AB, Canada and nursed her for the third week. Of course, the main job of the nurses is to enforce the painful knee exercises twice daily without which one will not walk again. So, all three cracked the whip and made Judy do these exercises. She has faithfully kept them up for about four months along with Physical Therapy twice per week. 

Peter is still doing a Mass each morning for the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist here in Georgetown, Texas, where we live on their property.   Judy is still doing Spiritual Direction on Wednesdays and Fridays. Since the Pandemic, this is all on Zoom, Face Time, or the phone.

Peter has continued his involvement helping in parishes in the Diocese of Austin and also leading a cell group for the Brothers and Sisters of Charity Domestic. He managed to get to the Leadership Gathering this year, but not the 45^th anniversary celebration of the group.

A new development in our lives this August was Peter’s celebrating Ordinariate masses for a group of about 60 people who are in process towards forming an Ordinariate Catholic Parish in west Austin. This group meets at 10:30 am, so after Peter finishes the Sister’s 7:30 Mass we quickly leave the house and both attend this new group. We return home about 1:30 for a quick lunch and then Peter leaves again at 3:30 pm to go to downtown Austin to celebrate the Divine Liturgy for a small Byzantine Catholic group at 5:00 pm, returning home at 7:00 pm. So, we, or at least Peter, have very busy Sundays.

Our weekdays are much slower paced; thank God, or Judy would not make it. She has slowed down a lot since this second knee surgery and since turning 79 two months ago. 

Peter is also slowing down, focusing a more prayerful monastic lifestyle that he has aspired to for decades.

After attending the funeral of a childhood friend’s son in Houston, Judy reconnected with a childhood friend who happens to live in the Austin area: so, having her over and visiting her home have been lots of fun this year with much reminiscing. A wonderful week was spent at a childhood friend’s home in Whitney, TX. Judy has basically stopped driving, so she is dependent on friends coming over or on Peter’s driving her to doctors and grocery shopping.

We daily watch the deer who roam around our home out in the fields: nature surrounds us on the Priory property. Yet our county and the Austin area in general is growing fast with chipmaking and other high tech industry moving here, so we wonder how long the deer or farmland for them to feed on will be around.

So dear friends, we welcome you to come to see us; for we have plenty of room in the Sisters’ 5-bedroom, 5- bathroom home here in Georgetown. Many blessings in the coming New Year.

With love and affection,

Judy for us both

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5499 East State Highway 29, Georgetown, Texas, 78626 USA

Judy’s Cell: 832 398 9519; Peter’s Cell: 713 314 7886

pdavids@icloud.com or jldavids@me.com