Dear Friends,
♫ We wish you a maskless Christmas, ♫ We wish you a maskless Christmas, ♫ Maybe next year! ♫ Well, we can hope that we are blissfully back to something that resembles the old normal by the time you receive our next Christmas letter. Until then, we persevere.
Lawson is a junior at Leesville Road High School and has officially retired from football. Our gentle giant is now 6’2”, but down to 190 lbs from his final playing weight of 225 lbs. He’s decided his future is in aviation, so he took his first flight lesson for his 17th birthday. Yes! He literally flew a plane. This Spring he plans to start a drone flying business for real estate agents, constructions companies, and others in need of aerial video footage. If that’s you, let us know. He is as dependable and hardworking as any 17 year old we know.
Marshall is now a freshman at LRHS. He’s 6’1” and bulked up to 155 lbs; still rail thin, but doing as many “forklifts” as he can bare. This Spring he will play for the high school and for the Summer/Fall has committed to play for the Charlotte Megastars’ (charlottemegastars.com) 2025 national team. As you can see from the picture, Marshall has the best hair-game of any men in the Hambrick family. Lawson and Marshall continue to put in rigorous work in their academics.
Sallie is still fighting the good fight of maintaining the ability to plan amid all the COVID curveballs that have emerged over the last 18 months. Have I mentioned she’s beautiful when she’s angry… I mean frustrated… I mean encumbered from being able to construct a plan for the next week, month, quarter, or year? Fortunately, she’s been able to pour herself into identifying the best flight school options for Lawson and college baseball camps for Marshall. Planners gotta plan!
Brad did what all professor-nerdy types did during COVID; he wrote a book. Making Sense of Forgiveness: Moving from Hurt towards Hope released with NewGrowth Press in October. It makes a great stocking stuffer for that family member who’s not excited to see you at the family gathering this year (kidding… kind of… think about it). This year Brad added cooking on the Blackstone Griddle to his list of hobbies. It’s amazing! If you are looking for a gift idea for the hard-to-buy-for person, look it up. You can collect cooking utensils like battle weapons in the old Zelda game.
We hope that amid the challenges of 2021 you have been able to find some joy and pursue some of the things you are passionate about. Christmas and New Year’s are a time when we look back, with reflections like this letter, and look ahead. Pray for us as we pray for you that we will be faithful stewards of the opportunities and abilities that God gives in the coming year.
We are grateful for you, your friendship, and the unique role each of you have played in the life of our family. Our prayer is that this Christmas you will experience the power, peace, and joy of Immanuel – God with us (Matthew 1:23) – and multiply that hope by sharing it with others.
Merry Christmas!
The Hambrick Family