2021 Holiday Greetings from Meadow Breeze Farm

(Trigger Warning: Grumpy Old Man Authored)

       Looking back on the past year, it is clear that my hope and my optimism for a better 2021 expressed on everyone’s behalf in last year’s Holiday Letter were not fully realized. It would be easy to spend the next few paragraphs ranting at the faux constitutional scholars and matchbox-licensed immunologists who refuse to get vaccinated for reasons that do not outweigh the societal consequences of their stubbornness (or make rational sense). In reality, nothing I write here is going to make a difference to anyone so concerned with their personal freedom and/or so confident in their online research that they’ll take direction from me. The rest of us are just going to have to let Nature run its course. 

On a lighter note, 2021 offered much to be thankful for. The Stern Clan grew by one when Molly and Phil’s daughter Flora was born in January. Theo has been a loving big brother, quickly adjusting to graciously sharing the kvelling spotlight. While the pandemic has made it difficult to see the Minnesota grands as often as we’d like, we’ve managed to spend some quality time over the holidays and Deb has been lucky enough to babysit Flora a couple of times a week. Flora appears to share her brother’s love of books and definitely shares his love of the horses running around the farm. Theo is in second grade in a Spanish Immersion school in St. Louis Park. 

In June, the James Gang made its second annual extended visit to Minnesota and Deb and I were lucky to share two months of quality time with Bennett, Miles, and Lucy (and Ellie and Matt). Lots of time was spent on the tree swings Deb set up and on Penny Pop Pop, the pony we bought last winter for the Grands to ride. The Grands loved playing outside, an impossibility in Phoenix in the summer. The dogs and cats and horses and sandboxes and pastures and hiking trails made Meadow Breeze the second happiest place on Earth, albeit safer than the claimant of that title. The visit was too short, but came to a necessary end so Bennett could return home to start pre-school.

If 2020 was the year where nothing happened, 2021 was the year where not much happened. For the most part, Deb and I hunkered down on the farm. I continued to work remotely, venturing into my urban office about once a week. We were thrilled to have law school friends Steve and Judy Berman stop by the farm for a few days in August on their drive home to Virginia after visiting San Francisco.

       We were able to resume traveling, primarily to visit family. I visited my dad and stepmother in Yuma for the first time in more than a year in March as soon as we were all vaccinated. I returned to Yuma in November for Dad’s 93rd birthday. Deb flew to Arizona later in the month and spent her birthday with Ellie, Matt, and the Arizona Grands. In August, I attended my nephew’s previously postponed wedding in Bethesda, Maryland, spent time with other nephews and nieces in town for the celebration, and had an emotional reunion lunch with beloved college classmate Richard Armstrong. In September, I flew to Napa for business and used the opportunity to have dinner with my cousins at Coppola’s winery in Geyserville.

       Deb remains happily retired and finds herself engaged full time running the farm and helping care for our grandchildren. She’s on horseback as much as time permits and manages the Stern menagerie, now consisting of two dogs, four cats, six boarded horses and four of our own horses, including Peppa Pony, a sweet new pony for the Grands. In her “spare time”, Deb maintains her tradition of creating gorgeous gardens all around the farm.

       Bridge Law Group’s practice continues to grow, keeping me busy and helping time pass more quickly. I'm grateful that I work with a group of dedicated, smart professionals who have figured out how to thrive and take care of clients' needs under such challenging circumstances. My volunteer work with TruStone continued to take a considerable amount of time. In (or, perhaps, despite) my 11 years on the Board, the credit union has grown from $647,000 in assets to just shy of $4 billion. My tenure as a TruStone Board member was extended for another 3-year term in April and I was re-elected to serve as the Chair of the TruStone Financial Foundation. The Foundation received a $1 million donation from the credit union at the end of 2020, making it possible to have a serious impact with grants to nonprofits in the communities served by TruStone. I still try to have a camera in hand whenever possible and was honored to be awarded the cover of the 2022 TruStone Calendar with an image I captured one-handed through an open passenger window while driving 70 m.p.h. outside of Gallup, New Mexico. 

       Like everyone, Deb and I have pandemic fatigue. However, we’re smart enough to realize that this is the new reality and, whether or not we like it, complacency is not an option. We hope to be able to return to some version of normalcy in 2022, a real possibility if everyone does their part and follows medical experts’ advice (just like they ultimately do in the ICU).

       Stay safe, get vaccinated, and have a happy and healthy New Year!