Welcome to the Johnson’s 37^th consecutive Christmas dispatch! Let’s talk about some beautiful things…

I’ve long made fun of over-the-top, doting, bragging grandparents… and now I am one! Janet and I have joined the club. Out of nowhere, the next generation has arrived! Having a grand has given us a boost of energy and renewed purpose. Little Bradford (actually, thick, muscular, 99 percentile length and head-size Bradford) fills a space in our hearts that we never knew was empty. That is truly a beautiful thing. I’ll come back to that.

As for the older generation, Raymond & Shirley, Janet’s parents, continue to live with us and provide blessings and humor to our lives. He struts into the kitchen each morning, with his pajama shirt tucked into his pants, and his pants tucked into his socks—next level old man gangsta! At 91 and 86, they are doing pretty well physically and can still beat us in cards.

I visited my dad and his caregiving wife Gail three times this year. One visit involved three days with him at a rehab center post-surgery, in order to give Gail a respite. Dad’s short-term memory is diminished and he sleeps a lot, but he’s a dear, sweet man. One morning, I sat by his bedside and said, “Dad, what can I get you? You have plenty of money—want a new TV? Want to go on a vacation? Whatever you want, I’ll get it or arrange it for you.” He thought for a moment and said, “Well, there is one thing, Bull. If it’s not too much trouble… I’d love a grilled cheese sandwich and some chocolate milk.” I smiled and said, “You got it, Pops!” The Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote, “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” My dad gets that. Peace and contentment at age 87 is a beautiful thing.

Speaking of beautiful, inside and out, my darling Janet had a busy, productive year. She taught several Ladies Bible classes and taught our congregation’s 5^th and 6^th graders. She loves speaking at Christian women’s events and was blessed to be able to do so this year in Kittanning, Pennsylvania and Houston, Texas. My little lady pours her heart and soul into these lessons and listeners. The college version of Janet I remember would never have envisioned herself teaching a Ladies Bible Class, much less speaking to large crowds of women around the country. Janet also went away with a group of lady friends for a cabin weekend in the woods to eat, fellowship, and watch/discuss several episodes of The Chosen. Seeing her spiritual growth and the way God continues to use her in ministry is a beautiful thing.

My year was filled with writing at coffee shops, doing disaster relief work in Valdosta, Georgia, doing prison ministry, hiking (to Rocky Top, Andrew’s Bald, and Charlie’s Bunion in the Smokies), leading a mission trip to Honduras, and teaching/speaking at Eastside and around the country. I spoke at the Kittanning PA church of Christ, the Camp Wiregrass men’s retreat in Alabama, and taught a 12-week course about my Appalachian Trail thru-hike to a local class of home-schoolers. While subbing at Knoxville Christian School, a first grade girl told me I was, “old, squishy, and 26.” She received partial credit… and remains in time-out.

In February, I published Every Scar, A Story: Act I, the first of a planned 3-part series, telling my life story. This first volume covers the first 25 years of my life—growing up in a military family, traveling the globe, falling in love, getting married, becoming a father, and the various highs, lows, and scars involved in such pursuits. Examining one’s life and capturing it in words is a useful, cathartic experience and a gift to future generations. I think everyone should pass on stories and lessons from their life to friends and family, whether that takes the form of a book or just a long note. I hope you’ll consider doing so. Having my youngest son tear up after reading a never-before-heard story about his late great-grandfather was, well, a beautiful thing.

Other 2024 highlights include:

• Visiting Bradford (and Kyle and Laci) in January, April, and November in Missouri. On the most recent visit, we celebrated Bradford’s first birthday!
• Visiting Jason & Rachel in Elkin and Mount Airy (think Mayberry), North Carolina, and doing an amazing 19-mile bike ride with them along Virginia’s Creeper Trail. 
• A week vacation in July to Canada with all 7 Johnson’s—Bradford’s 1^st visit to another country.
• Being visited by Kyle and Bradford in Maryville in September. Bradford (like his Uncle Jas, circa 1994) removed Tupperware from cabinets, pushed them around the kitchen floor, and put pieces on his head and in his mouth. He has a bright future.

• Celebrating our… wait for it… beautiful 36 years of marriage at Maryville’s swanky RT Lodge (courtesy of friends Kevin & Erika!) and then in Hot Springs, North Carolina, one of my favorite stops on the Appalachian Trail. (Sadly, the town was later devastated by Hurricane Helene flooding.)
• A wonderful family reunion with Steve’s sibs and their hubbies along 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.
• Going to Tennessee Volunteer football and basketball games with Joe and Jan, our friends from Missouri. Vols baseball–national champs! Vols football–made the playoffs! Vols basketball–currently #1 in the nation! Tis a good time to be a Vols fan!
• A family Thanksgiving gathering at a Kentucky Airbnb, where Steve taught Bradford how to catch a 10-lb catfish!

Last week, I visited my dad and his wife in Cincy with my sibs and their hubbies while Janet stayed home to look after her ailing mom. We went to a German-themed Christkindl market in downtown Cincy featuring bratwurst, vendors, an ice skating rink, and scores of costumed workers and visitors. As I exited the restaurant’s bathroom stall after doing my business, I looked over and Santa Claus was exiting the adjoing stall. We made eye contact, and in that moment, in the twinkling of an eye, Christmas became real.

Now for our big news. In April of ’25, we plan to move to Missouri—about 30 minutes west of St Louis! We have absolutely loved living in East Tennessee—our house, neighborhood, church family, friends, the mountains, etc. It’s all good. But the magnetic pull of a grandchild is real and powerful—if you’ve been there, you know. When you add a second grandchild on the way, well, we’re packing our bags! Our military lifestyle always kept us from being able to live near family. That’s about to change. As we enter this prime grandparenting window, we want to be present, whatever form that takes. I’m also “wired” to move every 4-6 years for a change of scenery—new jogging trails, coffee shops, bookstores, parks, neighborhoods, and people. That’s a bizarre concept to most, but the “human crop rotation” approach works for us, gives us a reset, and has allowed us to form friendships with people all over the country. To us, that is a beautiful thing.

Cathy (Janet’s middle sister) and her husband have graciously agreed to take in Janet’s parents for this next season of life. We’ve been busy painting and laying flooring in their Bristol VA home, getting a storage unit, and measuring furniture. The move will not be easy for my in-laws (and the congregation here is not happy to lose these sweet people), but we’re confident God will bless and provide for them in Bristol just as He’s done in Maryville. Their time with family in Virginia, like our time with family in Missouri, has the potential to be a beautiful thing. 

Amid this hectic holiday season, may we not lose sight of God sending His only Son into this world to die for messed up people like you and me. Jesus’ sacrifice on a cross and subsequent resurrection gives us hope and, as Andy Dufresne put it in The Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.” 

To which I would add… hope is also a beautiful thing. Merry Christmas, everyone!