Carolyn Chases the Bad Guy...

...and helps Dana (at right) to recover her stolen auto tags! They're both amazing! (More to follow....)

Karol can't believe it!

We even packed her favorite green table!

Our furniture is on its way!

My nephew, Dan Dougherty (left in picture at left), has been a godsend! He helped Karol and me over the past five days to pack our shipping container full of the furniture and books we collected over 36 years of family life! On Tuesday, April 27, 2010, the container left KC for The Big Island! Thanks Dan!!

We're almost half loaded...

...and we haven't even had a drink!

The new shipping container sans leaks arrived at 9:30 am just after we returned the U-Haul truck. My nephew, Danny Dougherty, helped me and Karol get all of our dining room and living room furniture loaded and ready for the high seas, along with about seventy boxes of books and stuff.

Tomorrow we should be about two-thirds packed, and then our house will be almost empty and our hearts heavy!

We're midway between two homes and two worlds!

The Shipping Container Leaks!

I guess it was good that it was pouring rain this morning when the shipping container was delivered to our house at 7:13 am. When I went to inspect the inside, there were two leaks!

If we weren't sending our furniture and books over 1900 miles of ocean swells, I wouldn't of minded a wee leak or two; but I sent it back for another, water-proof container, hopefully to arrive soon!

A Journey of 3814 miles...

...begins with our renting a U-Haul truck last night to pick up the last few items of furniture for our move to Mountain View, Hawaii!

As usual, Karol is in charge and ready for the arduous work of the move. We drove to her mother's house in Raytown to get some family furniture to put into the shipping container that was scheduled to arrive this morning.

We're off!

The McGilleys

I had a nice visit yesterday with Bridget and Jim McGilley.

Bridget hails from Malin Head, Co. Donegal, Ireland, where my grandmother, Elizabeth Mullin Dougherty, was born and raised. Bridget knows many of my relatives still in Ireland! For those of you who do not know Bridge (as she is called), she is a pistol! She is only a bit opinionated (not!) and has a few thoughts about how to improve the world!

Jim played football under Godfrey Kobets in 1943. He has high regard still for the work of Kobe at Rockhurst High School, DeLaSalle Academy, and now DeLaSalle Education Center.

Aloha, old car!

Our car left yesterday for the Big Island. Harold picked it up and will drive it on his rig to Long Beach, California, where it will be put on a boat bound for Hawaii! Our daughter, Liz, will then pick it up at the port of Hilo, and drive it to our new house in Mountain View. We will be driving our 2005 Honda in Hawaii on May 18!

DeLaSalle on the Air

I had the opportunity Saturday evening to be interviewed on M.C. Richardson's show on KFKF Community Radio. I spoke about the changes going on at DeLaSalle regarding our new charter school program. It was fun to participate on Community Radio!

Harmony Hamilton, Class of 2007

Harmony Hamilton stopped by to see all of us at DeLaSalle. She graduated in 2007. She has earned a CNA (Certified Nursing Associate) certification from the Job Corps. She now needs a job. Any ideas?

Elaine Frank-Ragan

I had a delightful visit the other day talking to Elaine Frank-Ragan (right in picture at left) about DeLaSalle and our capital fund drive.

Elaine's late husband, Jim Ragan, was a volunteer tutor at DeLaSalle for many years until his death in 2007.

Elaine is a professor, like her late husband, and enjoys her work and helping others. She is a remarkable woman!

I told her that I am an aspirant in the permanent diaconate program for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, and she asked me when the Church would be accepting women into the diaconate. I think she was kidding me, as that is not likely to happen!

I enjoy raising money and catching up with our many friends and supporters at DeLaSalle. If you are interested in helping with our capital campaign or any of our other needs, drop a comment on this blog. Maybe Elaine will come with me to visit you!

Children International

I visited with Pat MacDonald (right in picture at left) of Children International (CI) today.

CI has been a consistent and strong supporter of DeLaSalle over the past 28 years.

The President of CI, Jim Cook, joined us for this meeting, as did several other senior leaders of this great, international organization.

I am so grateful for the friendship and support of CI to our children at DeLaSalle, and to families and children all over the world!

Aaron's Tree

Shortly after our son, Aaron, died in 2002, a friend gave us a gift certificate to a local tree nursery. He suggested we use the certificate to buy a tree to plant in our yard in memory of Aaron.

I initially thought little of this idea. How could a tree in any manner serve to memorialize a human being, my own flesh and blood, who left us in the youth of his life?

But Karol liked the idea, and I soon found myself tree shopping and actually enjoying it.

We picked a Japanese "Weeping" Snow Fountain tree, which blooms in the spring with cascading white flowers.

This year, the tree began to bloom just before Easter. Four days later, only a few blooms remain, barely in sight in the photo (above). At the bottom of the photo stands our statue of St. Francis of Assisi, the thirteenth century saint and mystic who deeply loved God and all of God's creation. (Aaron's middle name was Francis, in honor of St. Francis of Assisi.)

I hope your spring is joyful and full of blooms, cascading through every part of your soul and being!

My Last Board Meeting as Exec. Dir.

My last Board meeting as the Executive Director of the DeLaSalle Education Center took place this past Tuesday. I was able to look carefully around the room as Board members visited before the April 6, 2010 meeting. Everyone looked wide awake even though it was a few minutes before 7:30 am!

In the top picture, Gayle Lee visits with Board President, Gary Ballard.

In the next picture, Board members Katie Wendel and John Sundeen talk.
In the third picture, Board members Dan Hogan and Perry Brandt prepare for the meeting.

In the last picture are Board members (left to right) Kate Brown, Greg Reintjes, and Brad Epsten, with Marilynn Chance, Detention Coordinator, in the foreground.

In my 27 years as Director, I have attended approximately 216 DeLaSalle Board meetings, and worked with approximately 150 different Board members. We have a great Board and great involvement and support from the Board.

At our next Board meeting on June 15, the new DeLaSalle executive director will be present, and I will attend my first Board meeting as DeLaSalle's first Director of Sustainability.

I'm looking forward to my debut!

The Rose Bush is Gone

On Holy Saturday, April 3, 2010, I saw that the large rose bush in our back yard that had spread to cover most of the side of our garage, had died.

This was the same rose bush that had hundreds of rose blooms every year for the 22 years we had lived in this house.

Was it a coincidence that later that Saturday evening we accepted an offer to finally sell our family home?

I do not believe in coincidences,

This was the same rose bush that had three unusually late blooms this past fall. I had found myself fascinated by these long-lasting blooms, and posted pictures of them to this blog several times in November.

I had grown unusually fond of this rose bush after it bloomed twice in 2003, the year after our son, Aaron, died. Several times each season since then, I had carefully pruned this bush in an attempt to enhance the life and strength of this bush.

Maybe I overdid it!

Sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, death comes regardless.

Sometimes it is time to move on, to leave behind the past and to discover the future.

If the offer on our house meets all of the real estate tests, we will be officially moved out of this house on May 18, the same day we fly to Hawaii and move into our new house.

It has been a momentous year for us.

Karol left her job at the KC Public Library in October, and I will transition from the executive director position at DeLaSalle on June 18, 2010. I will continue to work for DeLaSalle as Director of Sustainability, while I pursue diaconate training for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. I will live part-time in Kansas City, and part-time in our new home in Hawaii.

I am very excited about the future, but sad about some of the changes. I will miss this house and the old rose bush. We had some great times in this old house.

I miss Aaron, but now I will be able to spend more time with our other three children who all live in Hawaii.

Sometimes its just time to move on!

Happy Easter!