Greetings from June

Dear Family and Friends,

Heartfelt greetings for Advent 2010 and hoping this finds you participating in the promise of joy and peace of the season. 

The past 3 years since 2008 have held some significant changes and challenges, mainly a divorce after 30+ years of marriage -as many of you know.  As Christmas letters are generally upbeat, it is sufficient to say the process has been painful, yet there have been countless moments of encouragement and hope for the resurgence of joy and hope for the future through the support of family, friends and a gracious God.   This experience has borne out the enduring wisdom that to be deeply shaken is often to be deeply moved.  I am grateful to be settling into a condominium in Oak Park and enjoying the prospect of furnishing and decorating it to feel comfortable and attractive.

Another loss this year was the death of my niece, Susan Gibson, who died at age 49 after many health struggles.  We miss her, but are comforted that her difficulties are ended now with our Lord.

A recent cause for celebration in the family occurred when Julia married Jeremy Ewing on May 23, 2010 in a beautiful outdoor wedding in Santa Fe, NM.  Although it never rains in May in Santa Fe, the late spring does kick up blustery desert winds- which made keeping flowers, hairstyles, hats and music stands in proper alignment a moment by moment challenge!  A local mariachi band at dinner added some local musical flavor and fun.  The newlyweds promptly moved across the continent to allow Julia to finish her MBA degree on an exchange program from University of New Mexico with Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia- which happens to be Jeremy’s birthplace. Next it’s off to the postponed honeymoon in Ecuador in December, and then moving to Philadelphia to search for new job prospects for both of them.

I continue to enjoy my work as an Advance Practice Nurse with the Pain Service at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago.  The 11 mile commute that lasts 1hour by car (or 1hr, 20min by train and walking) is the least attractive part.  Singing w/ the church choir, community theater shows and some solo work enriches my free time.

Backtracking a bit, October 2008 was exciting as I traveled to Italy on a tour arranged by my Latin-teaching sister-in-law, Sharon.  We had a group of about 35 adults and walked and climbed the same routes on which Sharon had previously led many energetic high school students- through narrow Roman streets, historical ruins, ancient baths and up to the smoldering top of Mt. Vesuvius.  A 20 min swim in the Mediterranean Sea on the Amalfi Coast in October proved invigorating- although teetering on hypothermia!

However, my personal highlight was singing “O Mio Babbino Caro” by Puccini (which I had studied in my voice lessons) on site in Florence on the bridge named in the song, the Ponte Vecchio.  I did get a small audience among the other street performers!

Back home I tried my hand – or should I say foot- at cross country skiing in January ’09 in northern WI on the Birkebeiner trails under the instruction of my cousin, Paul Harris.  It is a wonderland of pristine snowy forests & balmy temps of zero!

  (Everyone knows about the Birkebeiner race in northern WI, and almost no one has heard of it in Chicago.  Check its historical folklore on Google!)

Michelle lives nearby in Oak Park, and works 3 different places as a licensed massage therapist-plus some hours as wait staff in a local restaurant.   She is currently a studying at University of Illinois in Chicago taking prerequisites to apply for entrance into the occupational therapy program.  She has a steady boyfriend, Jake, and is also an avid reader and a fan of poetry and “spoken word” events.

Christopher has kept busy in the last couple of years practicing an eclectic mix of jobs –including remodeling/carpentry, planting and digging on a tree farm in WI, and most recently assisting in the dental prosthetic lab at Rush Hospital in Chicago w/ Michelle’s boyfriend.   Note the picture of the outdoor stairs he built for my cousin who lives on a hilltop!  In his spare time he likes to try out new hairstyles- especially the Mohawk look!
 

So, that’s my (our) story in a no-so-small nutshell.

I continue to be grateful for all of you that I count as friends and family to share this journey of life together- and I pray for rich blessings and the advent of divine joy for each of you in the coming year.

Fondly –June

 (314 Wisconsin Ave, Unit 1S, Oak Park, Il 60302)