Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas 2010






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Holiday greetings to you and your family. May you continue to enjoy blessings, riches, wisdom, power and strength from the Source of all. After nearly two years of renovation to bring the house we purchased up to code, it finally received the final approval from the City of Highland Park. Views of the trees from the front and back windows and the ravine nearby give the country feeling. The living room and adjoining dining room provides sufficient space for family get-togethers.

The Tulloss, Kuhlmann and Bonje families got together for Thanksgiving at the Red House, as we lovingly call the new Highland Park house. Susan Bonje, Neil’s sister-in-law, joined us. A sumptuous meal cooked by Mark and Kirsten was enhanced by four kinds of pie and the Philippine fruit salad brought by the Bonje family. Mark entertained us with viewing football footage he collated from the kids’ football season. Alex’s team won the Superbowl for his Division while Melanie’s team won the runner-up trophy for her division.

Tiyo Gabriel is now ninety.  He is in good health and attributes his health to doing calisthenics every day.  He then demonstrated the exercises.  Tiya Nen is also in good health and is 78.   Ilona, Kirsten’s mother, is also in good health at 76.

Mark is now Public Access Center Coordinator for the City of Highland Park. When I visited his place of work, it was obvious that he was well-liked and has his grandfather’s (my father, Congressman Luis T. Clarin) genes for making connections with people.

Carlos and Allison have now been married one year.  They play in gigs and teach at a school for rock, teaching adolescents how to play instruments and how to play as an ensemble in a recital or concert.

Jim is now on Chapter 8 of his memoirs.  Any day now, he will be hitting Chapter 10 and he will consider this work finished.  His goal in writing is for his family to know how it felt growing up Black in the South.  He has a good memory for details and dialogue. 

I began writing my blog, Writing About Life, as an exercise in writing short pieces last December.  You can access it at www.sirwisdom.blogspot.com. My article on the Fourth of July celebrations at Glencoe was published by Glencoe News last July. I am  thrilled at the idea of being a published author.  Send me your ideas for my writing agenda .

As the family self-appointed archivist, I dug up documents from the boxes previously kept by Manang Nany. I retyped my father’s account of his family during the war years and beyond and scanned pictures from my mother’s album. I am also scanning picture prints taken by Jim recording the early years of our sons and of the school.

We look forward to a bright and peaceful New Year, sharing the little that we have to those who even have less.  It is in giving that we are blessed.  It is in sharing that we are filled with abundance.  Holiday greetings and Happy New Year!

With love,
Ijya C. Tulloss



2 comments:

  1. Hi Ijya,

    Just "passing by" and letting you know that I always read your blog...I bought a printed copy of your Papa's memoir ("Theosophy and the Clarin Family of Bohol") at the last TS Convention, where Emy and I talked to Flery. In the evening, Emy and I attended Vic's birthday party at his residence, where we all had a singing/dancing session--it was fun! Pat Munoz, our Balikbayan friend, was around. Wish I could tell you more, but you should have been present, too. Next TS Convention, perhaps? :-)
    A Blessed 2011 to you and family!

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  2. Hi Juni,

    It's nice to know you keep up with my blog, I do the same with yours. I am glad to hear that the project with Vic on my father's autobiography turned out fine with only a short lead time. I could hear the music and laughter at Vic's party from here. Do check my Christmas phonics blog simply because it took me forever to finally learn how to put the pictures in place. They always moved on viewing after editing. 2011 will be energizing. I look forward to writing and publishing my manuscript on Chemistry we can relate to. Happy New Year!

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