Dear Reader – I don’t even want to think about how long it has been since I last posted. Suffice to say, a very long time. What have I been up to? Well, I continue to grow and learn each day. I continue to learn how to live in a now 56 year old body, how to honor my body (with its perfect imperfections), how to be a better person, and how to find the compassion that it is so easy to lose (both for others and for myself). None of these are easy.

Since I last reached out to you, I have become engaged (Sept. 19) to my long-term partner, we have been to Puerto Rico, I have accepted a position on the executive board of our labor union, and we have opened the doors to our wellness center (Family Wellness Center, LLC in Carson City, NV). I cannot tell you what I am most excited about because they are all exciting events. The engagement is notable because I have never before been engaged (don’t have the ring yet – I have expensive taste). The trip was wonderful. We found our second home in Puerto Rico – western side. We didn’t actually find a house, but we did find the place to which we plan to travel for many years to come and eventually to retire. Taking a leadership role in the AFGE is exciting to me because it allows me to step back into a leadership position, use my organizational and people skills, and gives me the opportunity to learn many new things and meet many new people. Lastly, opening FWC is the culmination of many years of discussion, planning, and dreaming. While it in no way resembles what we plan for it to be – with the doors opening, the journey begins.

Interesting, as I reflect, that all of these events mark the beginnings of new journeys. It is obvious to anyone who has read my blog that for me, the journey is as or more important than the destination.