Surprise...it's a Christmas Letter!

A month or so ago I was sitting next to my granddaughter Ramsey Cate in church when, after the prayer ended, she turned to me and asked: “Why do they say it like that?”

The minister had ended the prayer with the typical Amen but had pronounced it “Ahh-men” (instead of Ramsey Cate’s preferred “Ay-men”). I quickly told her that the word could be pronounced in different ways, and that there was no right way to say it.

I reflected later on this conversation when some tough days came my way.

As a believer, I use the word “Amen” as a punctuation mark on my talks with God. The English Bible translates it to “verily” or “truly,” while the Greek Old Testament translates it to something like “so be it.” The most original form (the Semitic root) matches best with “firm,” “fixed,” or “sure,” while the Hebrew verb can also mean “to be trusted.”

Whenever I’ve said the word in the past year (and however I’ve pronounced it), the meaning stays the same whether its surrounding circumstances have been good or difficult.

The past year has come with both challenges and joys and yet, as many of my fellow believing friends like to say, “God is good all the time. And all the time, God is good.”

As both Christmas Day and the past year start to wane, I choose to look at the experiences from 2023 with joyful eyes; I acknowledge that the year has come with difficult days for many in my family–medical issues, anxiety and depression, lingering grief from lost loved ones, unexpected roadblocks in jobs and plans–and we should never sweep those things under the rug. They are part of the human experience.

But here, today, I will look back at 2023 with gratitude…as another chance to live and celebrate and travel and enjoy and LOVE BIG with the most wonderful family and friends. I will see the hard times as opportunities to love more deeply and to say AMEN more loudly and enthusiastically.

So…

Yes, this Christmas letter is filled with good things.

Because, my life is filled with good things.

I challenge you…

Find your good things. Cherish your good things. Remind yourself daily of your good things.

An Informative & Often Entertaining Look at Life with the Wrays in 2023

Cheryl and Scout Travel the SEC

One of our bucket list items is to visit all 50 states, and each Summer Scout and I road-trip to add states to our list. This year, though, we only visited one new state for Scout (Oklahoma) because our annual road trip was done in conjunction with an upcoming book project.

Earlier this year I signed a contract with It’s a Southern Thing Books for a travel guide on all of the towns and campuses in the Southeastern Conference; the book is slated for publication at the start of the 2024 football season, so I had to get on the road! We traveled in the past year to Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, and LSU (other trips sent me with girlfriends–hey, Cheryl! hey, Miranda!--to Georgia and Mississippi State and with Delaney to South Carolina (where we also enjoyed several days in Hilton Head).

These travels–as all of my road trips with Scout do–gave us the great opportunity to spend time together and to see some wonderful things. Aside from visiting cool campus locations, our highlights were the Oklahoma City bombing memorial and all of the amazing Texas food.

Next Summer we’ll get back to our bucket list…we still gotta get to Alaska, the Dakotas, Oregon, Washington, and a few back East. We’re coming!

We Discover the Extent of Gary’s Coffee Addiction

Each year we make one or two trips to Disney World and this year’s took us in February to Magic Kingdom and in July to Epcot (Note: July in Orlando roughly feels as hot as Hades.) We went in theory to see Gary’s favorite American Idol contestant Haley Rinehart in concert, but stayed for the princesses, rides, and food (okay, we stayed for the food). At some point during the day Gary started looking drowsy and lethargic; our worry level grew to concern when he almost fell asleep standing up while in line for the “Frozen: Ever After” ride. Was he sick? Did we need to take him to the first aid station? Should we be alarmed?

That’s when it dawned on us: he hadn’t drunk any coffee all day long!

Gary has a very special relationship with coffee, and drinks on repeat throughout the day. (His thermos is a constant companion). We promptly (after riding the ride; we’d been in line for 45 minutes, after all!) got him a coffee and…problem solved! He was awake and rejuvenated.

The Universe Works in Alabama’s Favor (again!)

Most of you know how important sports are to our family life. We all unabashedly love our favorite teams (Go Cowboys! Go Bama everything! Go Nebraska volleyball! Go Anyone Playing Texas A&M or Oklahoma! Go Braves!), and we also cheer loudly for all of the athletes in our family.

This year, we watched our Alabama football team struggle through the early part of the season only to find their footing and identity as the games went by. Once they’d made it to the SEC Championship Game, we felt confident in the team’s ability to beat Georgia–and they did! We weren’t as confident that the playoff committee would give us a chance to compete for a national championship, but we were so glad when it did. (True story: we were in church while the committee made its announcement; the ESPN app rang throughout the room, then we all whooped it up. God bless Bama!)

Friends Make us Feel Old–and Young

I had several wonderful opportunities to see treasured friends during the past year. When we visited Arkansas for book research, I spent an evening with friends from almost 50 years ago (yes, I’m that old!). We went out to dinner in Fayetteville, and I saw two girlfriends I hadn’t seen since elementary school; other friends that I’d been in contact with (thanks to Facebook) in the last decade or so met up with us too. It was such a joy! While on our trip, I also got to see high school friend Sonya when Scout and I stopped in Fort Worth; we talk often online, but hadn’t seen each other in many years. I also got to visit my sweet friend Julie at her new home in Panama City, Florida.

My most treasured friend group continues to gather together at least once a month for food, conversation, and lots of laughter. I’m so grateful for Angela, Cheryl, Julie, and Carol (as well as the others who are spread across the country)--how can high school be so far in the past? It’s amazing to me how time flies–and how friendships can grow stronger as those years go by.

We Proudly Proclaim that our Grands are the Best

The grandkids–Caden, Peyson, Ramsey, Piper, Riker, and Cohen–continue to grow up, and we’re blessed to spend a lot of time with them! We have regular sleepovers, celebrate all the birthdays and holidays, and enjoy watching them participate in all of their sports activities. (Ramsey Cate’s 6-and-under softball team won the Alabama state championship this past Summer!) All six kids are beautiful (if I do say so myself) and smart, but they are also kind. We credit McKenna and Jake for raising good human beings, and we are grateful for each of their lives.

Books and Music Bring us Joy

Some of our favorite hobbies include reading and enjoying music–and 2023 saw us do both things in abundance.

Cheryl and Scout enjoyed their third year in a book club with sweet friends; it’s a highlight of each of their months. Scout also continued work with her Scouting Books online book shop, which includes bi-weekly live sales, monthly book boxes, and other activities. Cheryl is still working on her 2023 reading goal (which was 80), even as the year comes to a close. Fingers crossed she can read 7 more books this week! (She may resort to picture books; shh, don’t tell anyone!)

In the music arena, concerts were a big part of the year. Cheryl saw Ed Sheeran in Nashville with her friend Allison; Cheryl and Scout saw 5 Seconds of Summer, Eric Nam, and Woodz; Cheryl and Delaney saw Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken; and Cheryl and Gary saw the Doobie Brothers to celebrate Cheryl’s birthday (and the band’s 50th anniversary!). Of course, it was the year of Taylor Swift and we all were in our Taylor Era. Delaney and Dylan attended the Eras Tour in Atlanta, while the rest of us saw (and rocked out) at the movie.

The Southern Christian Writers Conference is Going Strong

Much of Cheryl’s work time revolved around the Southern Christian Writers Conference and its many activities. As SCWC Cooriantor, Cheryl organizes and leads the annual conference (last year’s in June featured keynote speakers Bruce Barbour and Southern novelist Valerie Luesse), runs the group’s social media platforms, organizes regional workshops, and heads up the SCWC Notable Book Awards. It’s such a rewarding experience, and she loves encouraging other writers.

We Have Quality Family Time

We are super proud of all of our kids, and 2023 was a big year for them! McKenna landed a new job as the Director of Children’s Programs at two YMCAs; Jake has spent much of the year renovating their house; Delaney continues to serve as the Senior Pastor at First United Methodist Church in Oxford, Alabama; Dylan teaches English at Oxford High School; and Scout started working while also offering pitching lessons and running her online bookstore. They all work hard, and are great at what they do!

Our family is close-knit and bound together with love, and we jump at any chance to spend time together. (What a blessing, right? To have a family that enjoys each other’s company.) Whether it was going to the movies, sending TikToks to each other in the family group text, worshiping together, having Halloween fun, or gathering at the Sloans or Wrays for the holidays…our memories together make everything worthwhile.

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As I say goodbye to Christmas (yes, it’s 10 p.m. and I’m finally about to push “Save” and “Send” on this letter), I do so with a loud and vocal AMEN.

Verily. Truly .Fixed. So be it.

In the good times and the bad, in the tears and the laughter, in the certainties and in the worries, I will say Amen.

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! We love you!

"And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth." (Luke 1:14)

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”(Philippians 4:4)