Christmas 2003

Dearest friends and relatives,

So much is going in the world. It\’s intense. We all must do our parts from our particular points of view especially by being informed and voting. Then we each must live our lives to the fullest.

This has been a huge year for me personally and it has centered on my turning sixty. Months of thought, weeks of preparation, days of excitement and fun, and afterwards, many weeks of reflection. The event marked several turning points in my life.  With this birthday comes a shift in my life, from full-time involvement with all the monthly community meetings, to being more of a consultant. I love this community and will not desert it. I just need to claim more of my time for myself.

This frees me up to have more time for family, friendship, art, spiritual commitments, reading, writing and putsing around my place here. The celebration was also an art show of about 40 + years of my life in art. I filled all the walls of my studio and house with my work. There was even a small room full of my old commercial pieces. So the celebration and announcement was one of expression, evolution and a shift in intention. The aftermath has been continued introspection of a significant landmark in my life. I am truly blessed to have the luxury of a lifestyle that allows time for that introspection.

Last summer, there was a sweet visit to my folks in their new digs in Seattle. They are settling nicely into the most beautiful retirement home I\’ve ever seen and are in good health and full of good cheer. They\’ll be back at a great new place in Florida for the winter.