Happy New Year & Boy it is cold

Happy New Year to each of you. I hope that the Holidays were enjoyable and relaxing for you. We enjoyed being able to have a few days off allowing us the opportunity to relax as we celebrated the Savior's birth. The Ekins came to visit us over Christmas; a visit we thoroughly enjoyed. We played games, talked, laughed and spent on day at the Field Museum with them. Their visit was much more relaxing because we were able to have them sleep, etc in the condo just next door to us. So we were able to have more room to do crafts and to play games.

Thank you to many of you for your cards, letters and even gifts! We enjoyed catching up on your family and activities as we read letters and cards.

I am always excited for one year to end and a new one to begin. 2014 was packed with lots of experiences with young missionaries whom we have grown to love and to consider as family. Since we have been here 19 months, many missionaries who have and are returning home have shared that time with us. I think many of them will continue to be part of our lives since many will be attending BYU in Provo, just down the road from our new house. I am grateful to be able to look back on this past year, to reflect on experiences, challenges and growth and then to ponder what changes, improvements, etc I want to focus on this year. I am very appreciative for the Atonement which makes it possible for us to make minor course corrections and, at times, even major ones to help us to get on the path that will bless and enrich our lives.

Several have come back to Chicago to visit people they grew to love here. Saturday night, the Abbott's joined us and we took Elder Dahiro Chicago Vivas out to dinner. He is from Ecuador and several senior couples helped him to get accepted, registered and then to fly from Ecuador to Idaho where he has just finished his first semester of studies. It was delightful to see his growth and the experiences he is having. He said that if it wasn't for his mission, he never would have had this opportunity to get an education.

The world is really small in the Church. Our granddaughter who just returned from her mission in the Dominican Republic just emailed us that she met a girl at church today who had served here in our mission. The two of them plan to hang out together and no doubt will have many stories to share of this old Taggart couple.

It rained and snowed yesterday and has snowed most of today. We are grateful that this winter has been extremely mild so far, particularly as compared to last winter. But, I think things are about to change. The forecast for this week includes more snow and highs that are in the negatives or just single digits. So we will bundle up and be cautious as we are out.

You are important in my life and I pray that the Lord will bless you abundantly in many ways in 2015. Know that you are loved from Chicago.

Elder Taggart