Dear Friends in Christ, thank you for the gracious hospitality that you have shown to my family and me.  From our first contact with you, All Saints has felt like home.  I was greatly touched that so many of you were able to attend my ordination into the Sacred Order of Deacons.  We are looking forward to getting to know you better and walking with you on the journey of Faith to which God has called us.  A friend has suggested that I can help this process along by sharing a little about our family with you in this newsletter.  Here is a snapshot.

My wife, Mindy, is a kind, strong, faith-filled, beautiful, and fun woman.  She works as a Reading Recovery teacher for Carthage Public Schools.  Mindy is passionate about teaching reading and the welfare of children.  She is working on a delightful children’s book.  Mindy is also working on her Master’s Degree in Reading.  Something most people don’t know about her is that she trained in TaiKwonDo with a Korean master.  That is probably how she keeps me in line, most of the time.

Our youngest son, Andrew, is entering the 9^th grade in August.  He will begin at the Junior High and move to the new Carthage High School in January ’09, if it is completed on schedule.  Andrew is teaching himself to play the guitar (classic rock) and doing a good job.  He loves animals, particularly our Cairn terrier, Jack Daniels.  He competes in History Day and Carthage Swim Team.  Something most people don’t know about Andrew is that a Non-Episcopal church recruited him to participate on their Bible Bowl team.  He was one of their most valuable players.  Who says Episcopalians don’t know their Bible?

One of our twins, Marshall, is a Senior at Pittsburg State University.  He has a double major, English with a creative writing emphasis and Fashion Merchandising.  Marshall is very artistic and creative.  He has published poetry and short stories and served on the editorial staff of the Cow Creek Review.   Marshall plans to move to an urban environment to pursue his career after graduation.  Something most people don’t know about Marshall is that he provided English to French translation for his choir group when they toured Europe.

Our second twin, Theo, is a Senior at Truman State University.  He has a double major, English with a literary criticism emphasis and Communications with a Public Relations emphasis.  Theo focuses on literary research and academic writing.  This past semester, he presented a paper at Salisbury University on the treatment of the immigrant experience in England as portrayed in two novels.  Theo is weighing his options between entering the work force in public relations or going directly to a doctoral program in intercultural studies.  Something most people don’t know about Theo is that he loves sushi.

God has richly blessed me throughout my life.  My parents and grandparents provided a wonderful Christian family which taught me that God is Love.  In 1977, I married Kitty Grimes and in 1986 we were blessed with Marshall and Theo.  I lost Kitty to breast cancer in 2001.  God brought Mindy and Andrew into my life in February of 2003 and she and I were married in November of 2003.  Blending our families was not easy, but it has made life richer for all of us.  My wife and 3 boys fill my life with joy and excitement.  Sometimes there is a little too much excitement, but it’s worth it.  I have worked in education and counseling/therapy settings for the last 30 years.  Although licensed as a Professional Counselor and Marital and Family Therapist, I have found that being a good husband and dad is still hard work.  For the past 3 years, I have been the Chaplain at St. Luke’s Episcopal Nursing Center.  And today, God has led me to All Saints Church.  Everyday I pray that he will strengthen and guide me to serve you and serve with you in reconciling the world to God’s Love.  Finally, something most people don’t know about me is that, I really listen to country and western music for my own enjoyment, not just to annoy my wife and three sons.

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Ted