Not sure who loved whom more.

Mac has been my big boy for 15 years.  He and his brother Sammy were with me when I was young, single and nearly broke as a reporter in Nashville. The 3 of us made to the move to a bigger job in Indianapolis. They were there after tough days of covering devastation and there when I couldnt get home for the holidays because I had to work. Sammy passed from cancer when I was first pregnant with Johnny.  Mac was never quite the same.  He spent weeks roaming our home and opening up various doors (he was talented like that) looking for his lost brother.  Then came Johnny and later Ali.  Those changes were stressful on him as my time with him changed too.  Mac has not been the best cat. He would occsionally opt out of the litter boxes. He would only drink running water from a faucet, preferred cooked chicken, tuna, or treats. And for the last several months at night,  he would howl, waking everyone up. The vet said he was perfectly healthy, physically. But at 15, he was anxious. So I had to give him a daily anti-psychotic.  Very quickly after that he dropped a ton of weight, stopped bathing and would just stare in to space. But you can't suddely stop those meds. So, back at the vet, I prayed to God that he make a decision clear about what could be done.  Nothing could be done. I will always wonder if it was the medication or the stress of having to take it that caused him to go in to renal failure. I was with him as he went on to be with his brother and other childhood pets. He has been a part of my history and so that has been difficult to handle as my history is all over the country with no true home, until now.  It's so strange how  little beings come in to our lives, we love them and end up doing whatever is needed for them and then we suffer the heartache when they go.  Yet, we somehow step up and do it all over again.  I am not there yet.  I still cannot manage to get his ashes from the vet, so John will have to do that. And the kids seemed to be fairly resilient about it at first. Answering their many questions was not fun, by any means.  But Ali has her moments too.  Out of nowhere it hits her.  Last week I found her in a bathroom crying because she doesn't know how to stop missing him and neither do I.

Glammed Up!

This weekend John and I attended the annual and very lovely Cove Gala benefitting the Cove School. The amazing facility works with children from several surrounding counties who have various types of behavioral or learning disabilities. It is truly magical how Cove transforms a child’s life and future by helping them learn in unique ways so they can reintegrate into “regular,” schools and even continue on to college. We were there to celebrate our neighbors who were honored with the, “Prism Award.”  They've done outstanding work on behalf of the school and the benefits are helping so many children and their families now and in years to come.   My favorite girl, or I should say, young woman, Jane, is one of those students and I've known her as long as I have lived here.  We’ve watched her grow in to such an incredible person.  I can't wait to see what lies in store for her as she will begin college in the fall.  So proud of you Jane!
1) Jane and me
2) Our neighbors, the Prism Award recipients. 

The Future's So Bright...

Picture of panel I was invited on behalf of CASA to take part in an innaugural event with the Schuler Scholar program. The program was started by a former CEO of Abbott and his daughter. It focuses on high schools along the north shore from around Evanston



The students preparing for our panel discussion about internships and non-profits.

to the Wisconsin line. In junior high, they begin searching for the brightest students who may not have the means to access a higher education. (I was told last year Standford accepted 4 students from Waukegan H.S.-a first for ANY H.S.) They help them prepare for the top colleges and universities in the classroom and out in the real world. It could be working on the applications, attending leadership camps or a briefing on which fork to use when out to dinner. They began this when they found many of the under-resourced students would get to college and drop out because they felt overwhelmed by the social details. So, now the program makes sure that when the students do get in to the Ivy Leagues etc, they feel like they fit. The hope is that someday these scholars will return home and help another student in need of access. So today I, along with a dozen other reps from organizations, met with 60 of these scholars. It was a chance for them to work on their networking and interview skills with us. And it was a chance for US to find some possible interns looking for connections. They were so kind and interested in what CASA does for abused and neglected children. Several had their own personal stories to share with me about being placed in foster care. Every one of these scholars is proof the future is looking bright.