Archives: Newsletters

In July my family held a wedding reception for my son, John and his new wife Alicia. The wedding was held in Arizona, where he now lives, but he wanted a family celebration in Wisconsin.

In Green Bay we have had an abundance of rain this past few months! It seems to be raining almost every day. The “norm” for Green Bay, or the 30-year average, is 4.1 inches of precipitation.

In May I got to enjoy the company of my grandson Easton. My son James, and his wife Stephanie escaped the heat of Arizona and came to visit for a week. Easton is 26 months old, very curious, very stealthy and has a heart of gold.

Every so often I wake up and wonder how I have gotten to where I am. In my early thirties life hit me hard. I was 10 years in a painful marriage, overwhelmed being a mom to two active toddlers, and my career was in flux.

I clean when I get frustrated and my life feels out of my control. It’s a coping mechanism with benefits. However, this spring I have a different purpose to my cleaning.

March holds promises of fairies and leprechauns, rainbows and the fabled pot of gold.  The myths and legends of old are examples of the magic we can find in life.   They bring flavor and a bit of mystery to my everyday life.

For a very special birthday I got to have breakfast in the African bush watching a family of elephants browse on trees nearby. These were full grown African elephants, thick wrinkly skin, very gentle when not irked.

On New Year’s Eve my son, John, got married to Alicia. It was a beautiful evening for a magical wedding. It was held in Peoria, Arizona at the bride’s brother’s house.

A very common sentiment at Christmas is peace on earth. It sounds so very idealistic to me. But what does this really mean? I found one definition – striving for a world without war, a society where we respect and help our neighbors, a place where we protect and uplift our most in need.

There is plenty of fear, anger and pain in this world. The news is full it. It is not uncommon to see a variety of rants on social media. They love to inspire the negative emotions.