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| The whole gang! My mother moved from our home we grew up in MD to a new home in Rehoboth Beach, DE . It is a great place for everyone to visit and we did enjoy an Easter weekend with EVERYONE in her house:) |
“The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.” Denis Waitley
So THANKS, MOM!!!
Going home always brings the sentiment of love, connection, and gratitude. I have a wonderful family and when I go home it is a joyful time. It warms my heart to see my nephews growing up into thoughtful young men finding their own way in their journey towards adulthood. My sister's and their respective spouses have done a great job in raising 2 boys each while both being working mothers. The boys are working on their wings of independence.
For my wings of independence, I owe a big thanks to my mother who was a great inspiration to me growing up. I witnessed a childhood trauma with the death of my father at the young age of 39 and I was only 10 years old. I also witnessed the perseverance of a single mom to give her three daughters a “normal” life. She worked extremely hard to make sure we had a roof over our head, food on the table and clothes to wear. I appreciate all of her hard efforts as she was only in her 30’s when the loss of my father occurred and now she had the responsibility to raise three girls independently. This life-changing event became the inspiration for me to explore, travel and be available to new life experiences as I realized life could be cut short at a moments notice. It also was a fabulous example that hard work and determination can help you meet your goals.
My career in medicine also reinforced the message that there are no guarantees in life and this has guided my decision making in multiple areas of my life. Mostly, with my decision to travel a lot. I have always chosen to take most of my vacations internationally as I enjoy seeing different countries and cultures. Stephen is well traveled also and appreciates learning about the environments that shape other people. He never had a childhood death of a loved one but certainly childhood trauma and the awareness that you can be the master of your destiny. Our union as life partners was the coupling of two people who realized they wanted their lives to filled with exploration and inquisitiveness about our planet.
Our new mode of travel has been the sailboat and we have been fortunate enough to immerse ourselves into the sailing community which is another great family. We look forward to still many new ventures into the cathedral at sea and the lands and people surrounding. We are blessed to have great families to return to visit and always remember where we came from.
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| Ma and Pa Trail in Bel Air, MD -this is close to my sister Dawn's house and sister Colleen's work. Enjoyed walks and runs on this trail. |
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| Colleen and Joe (sister and brother-in-law) - we enjoyed a nice birthday dinner together. Coll had a birthday 4/30. |
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| My Aunt Kas, who is my Dad's only living sibling. I try to see her every time I go home for a visit. She is in her 80's and living independently! She looks fantastic and is always a joy to visit |
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| Mom with her 3 girls. Dawn in the back, my sister Coll on the left. |
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| Posing with props for SV Zissou, Mel, and Tris. Their boat is named after the movie Zissou which is a spoof on Jack Cousteau with Bill Murray. |
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| I got my hair cut! |
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| Amy (Shiloh) Ernst - she is a teacher for gifted and talented at my sister Dawn's school. We went to HS together and it was a surprise to run into her when I spent a day at Dawn's school. |
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| Stephen trashing the boat for projects while I spent another week in MD with my family. |
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| This is our bilge nice and clean:) he proceeded to paint it as well. |
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| Dawn's elementary school. She taught 1st grade for over 8 years, then 3rd grade, then became a reading specialist/consultant and now is a Vice Principal. See below. |
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| Ryan ( my sister's Colls oldest son) , a junior in HS, going to prom with a friend. |
" It costs so much to be a full human being...One has to abandon altogether the search for security, and reach out to the risk of living with both arms. One has to embrace the world like a lover, and yet demand no easy return of love. One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying."
Author: Morris West,
The Shoes of a Fisherman
This was taken from the book North to the Night by Alvah Simon which I just read and was an incredible sailing adventure into the Arctic. Highly recommend reading.
