Welcome to a New Chapter!

Thank you for joining Storyteller, my new monthly digital series that I’ve created as a way to share and connect with you and others about faith, family, life, and learning.

My childhood was an idyllic one. I grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago in a quaint village called Riverside. I lived in Riverside from birth through high school, from which I graduated when I was 17. To travel back to Riverside all these years later is to journey back in time to a place that remains much the same…gas street lamps, curving tree-lined streets, and a river meandering through the heart of the village which lends itself to ice skating in the winter and boating and fishing in the summers. I remember the leafy bonfires in the fall when the air turned crispy and the early signs of spring when the crocuses pushed their faces up through the crusty snow. The center of town sports a park called Swan Pond which offers a toboggan slide and is rimmed with a magnificent stone-structured library and a town hall. The shops and restaurants are more sophisticated now than the ice cream parlor and family drug store which sold my beloved comic books and penny candy when I was a child. But, the sights and smells, the sunlight peeking through the treetops, and the creaking porch swings are much the same.

I have always loved to read, so much so, that I hid books under my napkin at the dinner table and under my covers with a flashlight in my bed at night. I was certain that I was the only child in the world who was scolded for reading too much. Finding sentences that could paint pictures across the landscape of my mind was nearly miraculous to me. I was enthralled with authors who could describe a place or an event to make me feel like I was right there, living in the moment. Those moments reminded me of the chimney sweep Bert and the nanny Mary Poppins holding hands and jumping into a sidewalk picture and making it come alive. My reading led to writing, and I found myself studying vocabulary books and thesauruses so I too could paint pictures with my words.

My greatest passions are my religion, my family, and education.

My religion is my way of life. It is the foundation for all that I do and is the link to my love of life and family. With faith as my launching pad, I have all that I need to meet life’s challenges.

Family is everything. I met my husband Kim while we were in college. Our marriage and life together is a story of its own. We raised four wonderful children. They are all good people and strong thinkers. That was our goal. Our oldest daughter passed on when she was twenty-six after battling cancer for almost two years. And, Kim passed on unexpectedly three years ago, after 40 years of loving one another. I am devoted to my seven grandchildren. They, and their parents, are my heart. So you see, I have stories to tell and lessons to share.

Educating today’s young people is my career and my third passion. For me, the first day of school was always like a holiday! I loved shopping for school supplies. Over the years, pencil cases, thinly lined notebooks, dictionaries, and fine-point pens became the tools in my tool belt. I found that learning opened door after door for me leaving me with a thirst to keep traveling onward. As I grew into adulthood I immersed myself in schools and education. Education fascinates me. I love being in school which is what led me to earn my doctorate at the age of 60. Preparing students to be solid, ethical, spiritual thinkers has become my quest. Education is changing so quickly today that, as educators, we are racing to keep up. The race is exciting, challenging, and critical. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you as we explore new educational vistas.

I hope that some days you find yourselves settling into a comfortable chair and reading about some of life’s adventures while other stories have you on the edge of your seats wondering, and learning, how on earth we will have our young people ready to step into and save this wonderful world we live in.

Until next time…

Merry

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