As I look back, it is hard to believe it has been 10 years since I last wrote anything. Part of the reason was because I stopped hosting Soul Food luncheons and stopped writing my newsletter. So what have I been doing for the last 10 years?I’ve gotten 10 years older, even though most of the time I still feel 25. Perhaps my biggest accomplishment was getting my daughter through high school. She hasn’t finished college, but everybody grows at their own speed. I think it is crazy that we expect kids to get out of high school and know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. All of my Girl Scouts bridged to Adult Girl Scouts and one of them received the Gold Award. I am very proud of the young women they have become. I got a new car, started another business, sailed on a tall ship, been to Iceland, Sweden and Italy. I finally got to Lambeau Field for a tour and saw my first Packer game at Lambeau.  My sweet boy, Maverick died and now I have a sweet girl, Mocha. I still sing and have begun singing solos. I still hike and love living in Colorado. I almost died from blood clots in my lungs that I thought was the flu. So much for self-diagnosis. I still try to be the best wife, mother, sister and friend I can be. The family has changed, some have died, some have been born, some have joined the family by marriage. Doesn’t matter to me, I love them all.

And in the world, America elected it’s first African-American president, but is one for the few countries to not elect a female head of state. The Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series. Who know 17 minutes of rain would end a 108 year-old drought? I wish my mom had been alive to see it. There have been earthquakes, hurricanes and the climate keeps getting hotter. Sadly, racism and misogyny still exist, people to horrible things in the name of God and we seem more divided than ever.

So what am I going to do about this? I am going to be the best person I can be. I need to grow and change even though I just celebrated my Beatles birthday. I am far from perfect. So let’s go on this journey together and see what we find.