Page 2 - Sonoma County Gazette - August 2017

Dear Readers,
In my family, the phrase, “I always thought there’d be time.” repeats itself every time someone gets sick or dies. We’ve had many deaths from accidents, illness, old age, because we have lived many decades. Death is part of life. It’s a constant reminder to savor the life we have. Tell people you love them. Get involved in activities that bring you joy, and fulfillment. MAKE time.
I give myself the lecture all the time since I work very long hours. GO. Play. What do you LOVE to do? What brings your heart the greatest joy? My family always rises to the top of any list I make. The people with whom I share life are my source of greatest joy.
Once again, when I was looking for a cover image, I asked my daughter
Aleta if she had any photos of sunset on the coast that were purples and gold. Of course she did. How perfect. This wonderful young woman and mother of two delightful girls is my daughter. I never knew I could love so profoundly until she was born. Now I share my love for her with my love for her daughters, Destiny and Gianna. I am immensely grateful.
As summer comes to an end and the children in my neighborhood head back to school, I look forward to taking a ride up the coast with my husband, Alan. Where we live offers such astounding beauty at every turn. It’s time to pull my eyes from this computer and feel the curves of the road, the smell of the sea, the far off vistas that rest my vision from the intensity of my work.
This wonderful world we live in is filled with opportunities to help others, contribute to the life we share, and find tasks that give us a sense of purpose. In all the travails of my life there is one thing that is consistently true. Nothing stays the same...ever.
When I read of people making decisions that take them down hard and painful paths, I feel for them because they may not have considered the consequences of their actions. It’s easy to get lost in the moment and make decisions that in hindsight were mistakes. It’s hard to ponder which path to take and not get stuck over the potential conflicts. We all take action at some point and live with the results of that action.
Someone once told me that every person has his/her own story and that we need to pay attention to the story we are creating every day.
That’s what we are doing here. Paying attention to life in Sonoma County...paying attention to how we can share it to the benefit of everyone. It’s good stuff...this life..this adventure. I hope you are
enjoying yours as much as I am enjoying mine.
COVER PHOTO © Aleta Parseghian of Naturally Sonoma Photography
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