Take Heart: Christmas 2025

“In this world you will have trouble… but take heart!” (John 16:33)

Take heart. Whew! That feels like a high calling this year, when our heart for the vulnerable people we live among—immigrants, young people, hungry families, people needing the protection of due process—seems to take a daily blow. This means there are days when we pick up a pen or a sign in protest, and days when (Julia, at least) wants to stay in bed and cry. But in the calm, authoritative voice of John’s transcendent gospel, “take heart” is not a suggestion. It is a command.

And so we must, and we do. Our hearts are lifted by the weekly volunteer work of helping earnest Guatemalan immigrants learn English. Likewise in the occasional gathering of our Berkeley neighbors on the block where Julia serves as captain. Both of us are grateful to be part of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakland, where our granddaughter Ella loves “rainbow windows,” passing the peace, “church bread,” and running to meet her “Boo boo” Julia (AKA the “church lady,” whenever she happens to be vested).

John (AKA “Pop pop”) finds joy in his abundant garden, where horticultural enthusiast Ella awaits every harvest of plums and tomatoes, beans and citrus, with open heart and hands. He’s also fighting the good fight by studying at UC Law in San Francisco, with a focus on immigration advocacy. His service on two Episcopal Churchwide boards—the College for Bishops and the Church Pension Group—keeps both head and heart engaged.

Together, John and Julia traveled to Puerto Vallarta, where Julia had the privilege of serving Christ Church by the Sea for the month of June. We also made shorter trips to Santa Fe to visit John’s family and celebrate the graduation of an Afghan refugee teen they support, and to Denver to visit Julia’s family, where we witnessed the joining of hearts and families in the marriage of cousins Alexandra and Tristan. For a feverish season, it felt like we were packing and unpacking and repacking on the regular—and hosting guests when we were home—but now we’re glad to be (mostly) planted with our beloveds until we lead a cultural pilgrimage to Guatemala in February.

There have been plenty of other heartfelt labors. Julia had the high privilege of preaching at Grace Cathedral to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of women’s ordination. God and good courage willing, she will submit a draft of her doctoral thesis early next year. She’s loved the process of reflecting on a career in multicultural and multilingual ministry, and designing a research project about how we understand our baptismal identity in these diverse settings.

So we find ourselves to be two students in our generation, and a teacher in the next. This year, Aaron left Oakland Unified School District to teach science at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, where his skill and enthusiasm are welcomed. Weekends often find him doing urban astronomy on city streets and on campus at Zaytuna college, a local Islamic liberal arts college. Amos and Jillian—designing and managing assets and parenting—barely keep up with three year-old Ella, even with grandparents nearby to backstop. As she’s pleased to announce, “I’m very smart,” and “I’m very fast.” And nobody at the family compound on Woolsey Street would dispute either! We look forward to your joining in the fun at our newly renovated guest apartment in 2026.

Wishing you a heartfelt holiday season, Julia & John (1631 Woolsey St, Berkeley, 94703. 415-225-9351)