KJ NEWSLETTER 2014
Yes - another exciting year has passed for the Guest family; if anything, more exciting and eventful than I think we can ever remember! The highlights: Kyoko and Ben got married, Ben got a new job, a new flat and a new car and Kyoko got her visa (hooray!) John turned sixty, Kim and John saw the Northern Lights and visited the three megacities of the world within two months and Hannah fell pregnant with our second grandchild!The lowlights: Kyoko was detained by the UK border authority who promptly lost her passport and Kim was made redundant and closed the company she has built up over nearly fifteen years making 17 people redundant.
KIM: It has been a hectic year with lots to do. Hannah and I spent the early part of the year planning Ben and Kyoko’s wedding in the UK while they were living in Tokyo. The day itself was amazing and worth all the stress in the planning, despite the authorities nearly sending poor Kyoko home again when she arrived at Heathrow T5! With guests from the USA, Japan and Australia the logistics were a bit tricky but we managed to pull it off and then Ben and Kyoko had a mini-moon in Paris before Kyoko had to fly back to Tokyo to arrange her spousal visa. I continue regular trips to Derbyshire to visit and night sit Mum and help out so Dad can run errands. My mum has continued through the year putting on a little weight (she is still under 7 stone!), she managed to make it to the wedding but was very weak on the day. It was such a great day and fantastic to have her there. When she had a little smoochy dance with dad even the wedding co-ordinator at Gosfield Hall cried. Elijah made a lovely page boy walking down the aisle with Hannah who was a bridesmaid. The constant stress of running a charity in the current economic climate finally caused the trustees to make the decision to close. Although sad, it was for them a relief so now I am looking for something to do (job wise) in the New Year having had a few weeks break and our lovely cruise from New York to the Caribbean in November. We were excited to arrive back in NY the day before Thanksgiving and as we had booked a night’s stay were able to see the Macy’s parade for the first time. As I write this I have just come back from a visit to Champneys with Hannah, a nice time with the mum to be and some nice Mummy and me time to spend time catching up with Hannah. Our time together usually taken up by Elijah who is always centre of our attention! Elijah continues to delight us and as his talking and comprehension grows now that he is nearly 4, we are constantly entertained by the things he says and does. We have had a few sleepovers with him this year which are great fun as he loves to sleep in his fishy bed and has claimed his mum’s old room as his!
Another highlight for us was a quick trip to Tokyo in September to celebrate Ben and Kyoko’s wedding Japan style. It was a lovely opportunity to meet Kyoko’s extended family and visit her family home in Mobara. We have come to love our trips to Japan and the lovely insight to the country that we get from Ben’s experience and having a Japanese daughter in law.
JOHN: As we drove back from Heathrow in January after saying goodbye to Ben and Kyoko, Kim suggested we might celebrate my milestone birthday by me choosing sixty things to do before I turned 61. I have had such fun doing those sixty things and, at the time of writing, have competed 36. I’ve been to Iceland and the Caribbean, seen The Mousetrapand Wicked, taken the Gravesend ferry, camped in the garden, had a candlelit supper with Kim in Reykjavik, celebrated Gwen’s 95th birthday with a cream tea in Brighton, visited two of my three goddaughters, had breakfast with cousin David and a stay-over with Peter in Carlisle, had Okonomiaki with Kyoko and Ben in Tokyo and Sunday lunch with Hannah, Jon and Elijah in Brentwood, got Patrick Stewart’s autograph and made a daisy-chain with Elijah. Among other things, I still have Shakespeare and Star Wars to come, plus a narrow-boat trip, the Orient Express, Monopoly and the Rainforest Café, a sleep in a hammock, a Christmas market and a road-trip in a mobile home. Plus, in May I get to achieve my Number Sixty: to hold my second grandchild in my arms!
This year has not been the easiest for the older members of the family. Gwen had a number of falls and in April we regretfully decided to move her into a local Care Home. She now lives in the wonderful Cedar House in Stanford le Hope and I am able to see her regularly. Her dementia means she forgets much and is often anxious and afraid but she is wonderfully looked after and father is able to visit her from time to time. He is now on his own and finally beginning to feel his age (93!) but still refuses to use a walking stick. He gets to church meetings as often as he can and has wonderful friends in Christine and Clive. We are now encouraging him to think about moving: perhaps to be with us as a first step.
Having completed my Masters degree I have now been accepted for a doctorate, researching the subject of Play as an antidote to the ministerial stress! (Gof is in his element!). I still write a weekly column for the local paper and am involved with all my local schools as well as chairing SACRE and Thurrock Faith Matters. Next year I will be appearing as Jacopo the Pirate in TREASURE, an adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo as part of the Christian Arts Festival. (April 24th 7.00 pm in Cheltenham Town Hall if you’re in the area.) No more books in the offing yet: when I get a spare moment, I like to have a lie down!
I have four and a half years until retirement (14.6.20). I’m not counting the days; I am making the days count! Please pray for the last few months of my training colleague, Jokey, as she is likely to say farewell to SLH and look for her first incumbency and for Janice (administrator), Maureen (Community Pastor) and Steve and Graham (wardens) as we seek to lead the church family. We have been joined in leadership by Simon who has taken on oversight of our 11.00 congregation. Messy Church, Open the Book and COACH mentoring all figure in our regular ministry as does MannaFest, REFresh (Fresh Expressions reaching out to lonely, elderly and vulnerable folk) and periodic Men’s and Women’s breakfasts. We are half way through a very large building refurbishment project that has seen the church hall revamped. We still plan a new floor and a toilet for disabled use in the church building plus many other useful amenities. God has been very good to us all!
MARY: Can you believe I’ll be 19 in February – that’s about 114 in your years. My staff (K and J) look after me quite well but still tend to get under my feet a lot. I’m getting a little bit of arthritis so live birds and mice are somewhat beyond me and my food generally comes in a sachet. When I think I’m being ignored (woefully often with these over-busy humans) I like to let them know where I am. MIaaawwwwrowwarrghowwmiaarrowww!!
Well … we have been far too busy and haven’t seen nearly enough of you! John’s 60th was a lovely opportunity to catch up with a few of you and we’re sorry if you weren't able to make it. It has been a roller-coaster of a year but we keep reminding ourselves of how the Lord has been amazingly graceful in His provision for us both as well as for our wider family. Kim has a lovely picture of God saying “I’ve got this” whatever we have to face and we know our future and our loved ones are safe in His mighty hands.
We wish you all the joys of the holy season and much fun and playfulness in 2016. The Lord be with you!
