Bahrman Bulletin

Celebrate life, abundant in love and teeming with laughter.

Christmas, and the New Year celebration which follows, is my favorite time of year. A time to focus on family and friends, charity and giving, renewal and reflection.

This year the holiday had greater poignancy for me than ever before. It was a challenging year for many, and we were no exception. The loss of Amy’s grandfather “Buck” and my aunt Fern brought great sadness. My diagnosis with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) was, at times, physically burdensome and emotionally overwhelming. However, despite (and in some instances because of) these challenges, we also experienced great joy.

• The continual delight of watching our girls learn, grow and blossom.
• The outpouring of love and support from you, our family and friends, as I fight CML.
• The blessing of time with our family, together for a week in Leavenworth, Washington.
• The satisfaction of watching Amy complete her first marathon and successfully fundraise for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
• The pleasure of exploring the beauty of Ireland together with Amy and her aunt Suzanne.
• The inspiration of watching our friends and family struggle and overcome their own personal difficulties, finding new hope and peace.

These are the simple gifts for which I am thankful this year. And I’m most thankful for the gift of life given to me by the doctors, patients, researchers and donors who made my current treatment for CML possible. Given my great fortune, it’s impossible not to laugh heartedly and love generously, embracing every day of life with which I’ve been blessed.

So this holiday season, I hope you find time to reflect on and appreciate the everyday blessings in your own life.

We wish you and your family the simple gifts of life, love and laughter.

On Saturday Becca invited several friends, including our exchange student Eleonor, over for tea. Becca made scrumptious, flakey scones (that were gluten-free, although you’d never know!), a fruit salad, and hummus dip with vegetables. There was not a crumb left, testament to a wonderful cook and hostess.

We enjoyed dinner out with Eleonor after the party. We asked her what was most unexpected about living here. As we gobbled down our appetizers, she said the amount of snacks and candy we consume was what most surprised her. Here, people are always eating. Snacks are not common in Sweden. And there, sweets are reserved for Saturday, known as candy day. If people eat sweets on a day other than Saturday, it is for a celebration like a birthday.

Eleonor’s family arrives tonight. She is thrilled to see them, and we are excited to meet them as well. Her brother, she mentioned, is looking forward to grabbing a spoon and sitting down with a half-gallon of ice-cream. Apparently Hollywood has inspired him…depressed women sitting around drowning their sorrows in a gallon of ice-cream may be a dream come true for the fourteen year old. As long as it is Saturday, I suppose!

There isn’t any season quite like this one. It’s dark by 4:30, it’s bleak and cold outside, yet lightness and warmth envelope us inside. As we prepare gifts for those little children closest to us, we also take time to recognize the gifts we’ve received. This year has brought many:

• A devoted and loving grandmother willing to spend 3 months with Chiara so I could finish my degree (and come back for two weeks in the fall while we traveled to Ireland!)
• A wonderful two weeks with Tom in Ireland
• Talented physicians and Gleevec and the good news of a cytogenetic response
• A beautiful, happy little girl
• A bright “big” girl with plans for college.

If that weren’t enough, we were blessed with a visit from my family for Thanksgiving. A weekend filled with joyous traditions and activities (including gingerbread house making and cyclocross)…

We’ve been given so many gifts! Thank you to everyone who has shared with us this year!