Dear Friends and Families,
This will be my twentieth year at New Beginnings. The first generation of children I had a role in placing have become smart, thoughtful, beautiful young adults. The young men and women of today are remarkable and are a great source of optimism for the future.
Thank you for your holiday cards. We appreciate the chance to see your families and how quickly they grow up. I am going to call-out some names. Please do not be offended if I did not mention your family. To Kathy and Bill, Paul and Mary, Bob and Lisa, Rusty and Katharine, Jay and Cathrine, Howard and Iris, Mike and Lisa and many of the other China families that adopted a decade or so ago, you all have lovely families. The girls of China will soon be the poets, the artist, the scientist and the leaders for generations to come. They will make us all proud. Merry Christmas Henry Z. and Lindsay H. Happy Holidays to Gui Lan.
To John and Karen, Tess has a great smile. Lorraine and Howard, the boys are handsome and the vacation looks fun. To Vicky and Mark and to Rob and Nina, it has been a long time since we placed three girls in a family. They all look very proud and happy. Great things happen in families like these. Andy and Rachel, with three boys, your home looks so fun. Wonderful things happen in home like this too. Merry Christmas to David, Su and another family of boys; and to Kristin, Mike and their family of five.
We are always happy to see pictures of the older children. David and Sheila, you must be extremely proud. Becky and Dan, you have a lovely family and I wish Jess and Jenn good luck in college. Peter and Alice, Brain must be a tallest in the family. I bet he is a good brother, son and friend. To Ellen, Ed and Clare: Merry Christmas to you too.
To Linda, Joe, Joshua and Ashlee, Go Jets… maybe next year. Hi Ariel, Marry Christmas. Parker is a charmer, Lucy. To Glenn and Cyndi, Chloe is a princess. Jody and Amy, your Parker has a wonderful smile. We too are happy that Owen’s home, with some big sisters to show him the way. Gretchen and Travis, you have a lovely family. To Brian and Rebecca, Ayla and Vivian look adorable. To Levi and Luca, it is great to have your best friend be your brother. Santiago and Sofia are very handsome. To James and Heather, cute card ─ lovely family. Lily looks happy to be with the big sisters Zoe and Sydney. Joe and Sue, Pauline thanks you for the kind words. To William and Stephanie, great smiles.
Melissa, Brian, Shannon and Emma, we hope Quinn will join his family soon. To Vinny, Ivy and Sophia you are such a loving family, thank you for letting us play a part. To Kevin, Kristin, Tea and Livia thank you for your patience and trust through a hard process. To Joel and Kim, great picture of Ellie and Julian. Hi Yuliya, happy holidays.
Thank you again for the cards and pictures. It is clear that there is tremendous love in all of your families. I would also like to thank Steve and Nancy for their on going support. Thank you Judy, Joan and Maureen, you are the best team ever. Thank you, Liz, for pushing NB to do better. MariaIsabel and Barbara, thank you for sticking with us, you too Henry. A special thanks to Pauline, working with you is the best.
Finally, to a few old friends: Cathy you are a wonderful mentor. I often find myself quoting your wisdom, thank you. To my dear friend Faye, yes, compassion and humor are at the core of every happy family, and you.
To all of our friends and families, we wish you a Happy Holiday and a Joyous New Year.
Sincerely,
Tim Sutfin
PS you are welcome to post you pictures and cards on our Facebook page.