MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Christmas Letter 2025 

Hello dear family and friends, ✨ 

As Ava curls in beside me ???? and holiday tea warms my hands, I smile thinking of you — the generous souls who have made this year shimmer. Before we all dash into the merriment of the season, I want to share a glimpse of life from my little corner of the sky. 

2025 has been a year of words ???? — lots and lots of words! These months overflowed with stories, laughter, memories, and lessons that keep teaching me I am still soaring, one wing at a time. 

After ten years of dreaming, revising, and gathering courage, my new workbook stands almost ready to greet the world: Soaring into Your Greatness: How to Live an Unstoppable, Unforgettable, Unbelievable Life. A practical and spiritually grounded companion, this workbook supports readers in stepping fully into the life they feel called toward — guided exercises, journal reflections, and a framework built around alignment, attitude, and action help uncover strength, purpose, and possibility. When the launch arrives, I already feel your cheers, reviews, shares, and perhaps a cozy book-signing in your home — thank you in advance! 

Forty-four new blogs found their way to over 600 subscribers every week this year— titles like Footsteps in the Forest, Healing Relationships One Choice at a Time, and Sunshine or Swords. Each one hopes to offer comfort, humor, or a spark of hope. If someone you know desires encouragement or a lift, please send them to my website below. 

And because one book at a time rarely satisfies a soaring spirit, the next memoir rises on the horizon ????: Embracing the Sky: Still Soaring, One Wing at a Time, the transformational sequel to Soaring into Greatness. Many of you have walked the triumphs with me — cheering at the summit — and now this story follows life beyond the applause, where courage whispers instead of shouts and wings grow weary yet refuse to fold. The pages explore the steady strength that keeps us lifted, and the breathtaking discovery that the wide, welcoming sky already surrounds us. I cannot wait to share this next chapter with you in the coming year. When the book arrives on Amazon, your support will help those wings take flight! ???? 

When not writing, I listen to books from the Library for the Blind and Audible — forty-four titles so far! If you’re on my email/blog list, I will share the full lineup in the final blog of the year, as a celebration for fellow book lovers. ???? 

Family life offered both blessings and burdens. My brother Gary stands one year beyond HPV cancer treatment — and thank God, still with us! Taste buds remain stubbornly absent, and he swears most food feels like “a thousand shards of glass.” Every month we celebrate survival at a local restaurant with noodle soup — the friendliest dish for a healing mouth. 

My sister Cheryl is grieving the sudden loss of her partner of eight years, Steve, who passed in September. She continues to find her footing. If prayers are part of your heart, please tuck one around her name. 

As for me, the doctors discovered a very mild case of atrial fibrillation. No medication needed, just wise watching — and I feel grateful. As a dear friend reminds me, “God’s got this!” My heart agrees. ❤️  

Miss Ava, now six years young, remains wise, wiggly, and ever ready to guide ????. She astonishes me daily with her work, yet still plots sock-napping missions each morning and claims the sunniest spot by the sliding door like royalty. Playdates with Christina and her dog Max transform this dignified worker into a romping puppy. Joy definitely has paws — and a wildly wagging tail ????. 

And speaking of soaring spirits — the Lions still have me! ???? I’m delighted to continue serving as President of the Englewood Lions Club, and next year we’re hitting a milestone worth roaring about: our 100th anniversary! ???? On May 16, 2026, we’ll celebrate a full century of service, community, and compassion. If you’re anywhere near Denver, consider this your official invitation. Come howl to the moon (Lions-style), honor our shared humanity, and help us kick off the next hundred years with joy! ???????? 

As lights sparkle, music fills December days ????, and the new year begins, please know how deeply thankful I am for you — your friendship, encouragement, prayers, and the countless ways you help me keep embracing the sky. ✨ 

May 2026 bring more laughter than worries, more wonder than routine, and an abundance of reasons to celebrate the sheer gift of being alive. ✨???? 

With love, hope, and one wagging tail, ???? 

Gail & Ava