Jake, Josh, Robin, Scott, Shara, Jake
It’s already time to write another Christmas letter? I know, I know … you spend all year waiting for this glorious day. And here it is, Linscott Christmas Letter Day. C’mon, ring those bells!
I really thought last year’s letter was going to be my last. Remember? I was sick and my only hope was a liver transplant. I felt so sick, like I was dying because, well, I was dying. Now here I am, closing out 2012 with a shiny new liver and mushy love all around me.
My kids are all “twitterpated,” as Thumper told Bambi. I can’t take a picture without capturing someone hugging or kissing in the background. Shara and Jake, new home owners, are very fond of each other. Jake and Laura light up when they see each other on school breaks. That’s been going on for a few years. And I hear Santa, or Jetblue, is delivering a Christmas Kristen for Josh. I have a feeling I better not hang any mistletoe. If I do the house will be too quiet.
Hmmm … let’s see if I can think of any highlights that happened this year. Um, it’s something about May 7. Now what was it? Oh yeah, I remember. Josh laid on a surgeon’s table and willingly gave half his liver to save my life! While we were both under anesthesia, Jake, Shara, Shara’s Jake, Robin and Gloria sat anxiously in a nearby waiting room. Gloria texted, posted and called an army of relatives and friends with every morsel of news while thousands of prayers went heavenward.
One month later I walked the length of the sidewalk in front of my house. Six weeks later I walked to the stop sign at the end of our street with my new puppy, Pompom. Ten weeks later I rode my bike 2 miles and walked a mile every day.
Four months after transplant, I completed a 10 mile bicycle ride as part of the Fight Back Cancer festival with Shara’s Jake by my side and even pushing me up a couple hills. We all cried as I crossed the finish line with family cheering and holding signs.
Donald Jacob Linscott
Five months later Robin and I traveled to the Culinary Institute of America to proudly watch Jake graduate from the chef portion of his program. Uh huh, I cried again. I find I cry a lot when I feel thankful thinking, “I should be dead right now.” We spent the next day in New York City with Josh and were blessed to eat NY Pizza and see Mary Poppins on Broadway. (It was dark so no one saw me cry.)
Six months later Josh and I traveled back to Lahey Clinic to say hello and give thankful hugs. While we were there we popped in on my Aunt Betty who had a liver transplant 10 days earlier! Yes, two transplants in our family in on year. Can we be any more blessed? I submit that we cannot.
We had a couple scares early on after transplant with infections that put me back on Lahey’s transplant floor where the care was always excellent. They got me back on my feet within a few days each time.
2012 has been quite a year. We had to sell our house and the Lord provided a smaller place better suited for us. I “coded” in March, complete with crash cart and a skilled team of docs and nurses at Maine Med who brought me out of it.
I cried with everyone – my sisters, my mom, my Auntie Weasel, my best buddies, my kids and my sweet wife.
That brings me to Robin. “In sickness and in health?” Man, she didn’t deserve this! But, today I am absolutely sure that my wife is truly the best thing that God ever blessed me with. She held me, prayed with me, cried with me, put up with my irritability from encephalopathy and never complained. She carried me. She refused to let me quit and pushed me on. She cleaned me up, shaved me, bathed me and fed me. I can’t even explain how much I love her. She amazes me.
Want to know what else we discovered in 2012, again? Our God can be trusted. Our Jesus loves us more than we can comprehend and the Church is alive and well. So many times people fed us, paid our medical bills, and put oil in our tank.
Other than all that, not much happened in 2012.
My Southern buddy Bill
I am so very thankful today. I have tons of new friends all over the world. God has opened doors for new relationships, new neighbors and new opportunities to live out my faith and share Hope with so many who are having trouble finding it. Many of my new friends are awaiting transplants.
Here’s where I include my Christmas list. Please, give me everything on my list.
- Stop taking family for granted. Let your words and actions show you love them.
- Pause to think on your life. Are you who you want to be? Will 2013 be the year of change?
- No matter what you’ve heard or seen from Christians or church, would you read 1 John Chapter 1 and check into who Jesus actually is by reading Matthew through John too?
- Take 5 minutes and go to www.organdonor.gov and register to be an organ donor. If all Americans would register, there would be no waiting list. Right now, 118,000 people are waiting.
Forgive me for such a long Christmas letter. I had a lot to tell you. Please, if you are in the area, stop in and say hi. We love seeing old friends!
Thank you so much for being part of our story. Thank you for pushing me up so many hills with your prayers, cards, emails and support.
Have a Merry Christmas and an awesome New Year!
Scott (and Robin) Linscott
5 Village Ln
Westbrook, ME 04092
1 John 1
The Message (MSG)
1 1-2 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.
3-4 We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy!
Walk in the Light
5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.
6-7 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.
8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.
Drinking from the Same Dipper 