In a year of global turbulence and personal challenges, we are thankful for the anchor we have from our family and friends, who have been a buoy amid troubled waters.
In 2024, we are optimistic — about our professional lives, about our personal lives, and about the opportunity for new mercies in new mornings.
How we gave our time and treasure
Lance took over as the Board Chair of QVA, the University of Virginia's Queer Alumni Network. QVA advocates for and supports UVA's LGBTQ+ communities by connecting students, alumni, faculty, and staff through education, philanthropy, and bridge building. In 2023, QVA awarded more than $250,000 to support more than 100 students. QVA would love your support.
Daniel continued his efforts to increase nutrition and reduce the impact of parasitic worms on children in less developed countries, most especially by expanding his partnership with the Carter Center. He also founded Streets to Hope, a network of volunteers who empower oppressed Russian women to make their own healthcare choices. He also joined the Federal Club Council of the Human Rights Campaign. and the National Council of the White House Historical Association.
Of course, in addition to these and other charitable endeavors, we continue our support of manatees, nature's gentle giants. We strongly encourage you to contribute to the Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center, and we'd like to mention our growing friendship with the Columbus Zoo's Manatee Rehabilitation Program.
In 2023, we did some new things that took us outside of our comfort zones and grew green shoots of new opportunities. We are excited for what 2024 will bring, given the foundation we laid in 2023.
Some statistics from our long and adventurous year:
187: Visits to Taco Bell, apparently the only food keeping us alive
200: Consumed books, including
From Lance:
Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival, and Hope in an American City
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Manhwa Tower of God
From Daniel:
Spies: The Epic Intelligence War between East and West
The Two-Parent Privilege
Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me: Depression in the First Person
45,688: Air and train miles logged
176,415: Emails received
76,704: Telegram messages exchanged with each other
1,643: Hours of Friends, Brooklyn 99, The Office, or anime we watched (passively, as background noise while we do other things)
9.4: Pounds of fur brushed from Dreamy and Wumpy
1,319: Social media posts created
803: Cups of coffee drunk
393: Uber/Lyft rides taken
309: Amazon orders
In 2024, we hope for grace and peace: in our own lives, in our relationships near and far, and in our world. The globe is fragmented by conflict, and the country is about to endure another a nasty election season.
We are thankful for each of you, and we are thankful for moments to share peace and grace, which multiply each other and represent countercultural values. We hope for a more perfect union, built by definition on unity, enabling us to see we are all imperfect and are trying our best.
Everyone needs grace, the free gift of forbearance and mercy we don't deserve, and to be reminded they are loved, they are treasured, and they are appreciated, even on those many days that are imperfect. We are all burdensome at times, and when the weight is too much, be around to help carry someone else's share.
Remember you can always choose. We have chosen to be in your lives, and we are blessed you have chosen to be in ours. True greatness isn't about singular acts or about hyped up things done when you're at your best. Greatness is a choice for steadiness: the accumulation of a million little choices over the course of a lifetime, the choices required to make it through every day.
The act of choosing, even when small or in bargaining with yourself, is an act of defiance against the torment of depression and chaos, and the more you choose the good, the more we can wash away the sands of catastrophe.
We are so thrilled we get to choose. And we hope you'll choose grace and peace in the coming year.
We have an annual holiday party.
You might get an invitation.
Filling out this form would help.
Daniel writes a lot professionally, and throughout his writing, he often includes puns. Here's a sampling of some of the puns that made it into his writing in 2023:
>What do you call an angry nut with a mustache? A pissed-tachio
>Why did Smoky the Bear say "Only you can prevent forest fires!"? Because he was furloughed by the US Forest Service during the government shutdown.
>My dentist likes to joke that he has better teeth than me, despite being 20 years old. I assume it's because he has a better dentist.
>What is Jack Frost's favorite food? Brrrr-itos.
>Why are fishermen such good singers? Because they know how to hold a tun-a.
>Why are some people afraid of Santa? Because they are claus-trophobic.
>I poured root beer into a square glass, and now I have beer.
>What's the difference between a well-dressed person on a bike and a poorly dressed person on a unicycle? A-tire.
>Why did the cantaloupe jump into the pool? It wanted to be a water-melon.
>Why did the pilots decide to retire? Their job was too Boeing.
>Did you hear about the pregnant bed bug? She's having babies in the spring.
>Remember when Putin said he had no plan to invade Ukraine? I'm starting to think he was telling the truth.
>A pommel horse walks into a parallel bar. The bartender asks, "Is this a joke about gymnastics?" The horse beams.
>I'd like to imagine that the Supreme Court is just like a regular court but with tomatoes and sour cream. (This is a Taco Bell joke).
>Could I write a good joke about sodium hypobromite? NaBrO.
