Shepard Family Update, Nov 28, 2008

Families are like fudge -
mostly sweet with a few nuts.
- author unknown

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Hello from San Diego on this week of Thanksgiving. I hope your Thanksgiving was pleasant and joyful. Our family had gatherings yesterday all over the country -- from Northern and Southern California, to Washington, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and even Utah. And probably elsewhere! (If you took a picture of your family yesterday, email it to me. It might find its way into a family email!)

I am grateful that in the midst of our diverse lives we can celebrate the family we are, and find meaning in the relationships we share and the family history that binds us together.

The first picture I am including today I found in the photo archives of my mom some months ago, and I do not know the circumstances or the location, although it was probably taken in San Diego. The back of the photo says December, 1982. It shows a proud uncle Darren Boyd holding his nephew Jeremy Ortiz, Kim Clark's oldest son, when Jeremy was 2.

The second picture was taken earlier this year and shows birthday kids Kim Clark and her grandson Damian Ortiz, Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz's youngest son, who will turn 2 tomorrow. Grandma Kim and young Damian share Nov 29 as their birthday, and will celebrate tomorrow at a family gathering at a restaurant in La Mesa. Happy Birthday to both of you! Kim and husband Jeff are in the San Diego area visiting from Blue Springs, Missouri.

Damian, at 2 years old, is the youngest of the 8 great, great, grandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard. The other seven are Lyndsey and Mandi Aquiningoc, Nate and Kyle Sauvage (Weatherford, Texas), Ciara and Ashlyn Ortiz (El Cajon, Ca), and Emma Wilk (Atchison, Kansas). What an impressive group! And they are just the beginning of this 4th generation after Gram and Grandad.

The latest news on Mary Shepard in the Seattle area is that her cancer surgery was very successful. It appears that no chemo will be needed and the expectation is that there will be no recurrence of the cancer. Thanksgiving had very special meaning for them yesterday.

A reminder: in a few weeks Dane Shepard needs to set the date for the family reunion next summer in Oklahoma. Let him know if you have a preference between the three dates that he has suggested: June 20 or 27 or July 18, 2009.
--
Steve (one of the nuts in the family fudge)