December 6, 2010
Dear Family & Friends:
During the darkest days of World War II, King George VI came to the microphone of the BBC to deliver the annual Christmas message to the British Commonwealth. He spoke these eloquent and immortal words:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than the known way.”
As we approach the New Year, I take comfort in these words, and look forward to the future with great hope, promise and anticipation for the good things to come.
I wish all of you God’s blessings, and I hope you have a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2011.
I will be returning to Nepal in April of 2011 to finish what I started this year–a double ascent of Mt. Everest. Those of you who have followed my previous adventures know that I summitted Mt. Everest from the South (Nepal) side in 2009 and reached the Second Step on the Northeast summit ridge (very close to the summit) on the North (Tibet) side this year before being turned back by bad weather and exhaustion. With better weather, I am confident I can realize my dream next year. I will post more information about my 2011 expedition in January.
I have updated my website, and invite you to browse and catch up. For those of you who have inquired about Ollie, please check out the link titled “My Training Partner.” You can watch a 60-second video showing Ollie on one of our recent Sunday bicycle training trips. If you are interested in making a donation in honor of Ollie for Angelman Syndrome research, please consider purchasing holiday cards, personalized stationery, custom stamps or other unique gifts from my daughter, Lisa, as she donates a portion of the proceeds to the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. See Charming Cards link on this website.
Bill