March is living up to its reputation of being a month of turbulent weather for Wisconsin–as we transition from winter to spring. It seems there is always some degree of turbulence with change. Change can be anticipated with excitement, worked for and planned for, or be sudden and unplanned. In either scenario it can still be met with turbulence. Even human development includes turbulence–the terrible twos and adolescence are famous for it! Moving forward with any change has elements of the unknown to navigate and this is part of life. Life is not stagnant, change is a constant and we do it best together.
Last month I wrote about losing our friend and mentor Bill Perkins. At Hope & A Future’s intimate memorial for Bill, we talked about his pure motives to help people and his propensity to come alongside others who were also trying to help. He was a mentor to many and the loss of his presence in our lives is hard. During conversation, Bill’s wife told Tim Radelet, another friend and mentor of ours, that Bill often stated; “Tim is a Holy Man.” Tim was surprised by this comment as he is not a religious man. I told Tim that I believed Bill’s definition of Holy was more about genuine intentions and having transparent and true motives than about religious office. Bill’s wife nodded in agreement. Genuine goals, truth and transparency are part of Bill’s legacy to us. At this gathering, some of us met a long time colleague of Bill and Tim’s for the first time. It turns out that this person has knowledge in areas we need as we move forward with Hope & A Future’s expansion. Bill’s wife felt this introduction may have been Bill’s parting gift to us–transitioning in a new and needed mentor. Perhaps the painful winds of Bill’s passing blew in the joy of new friendship. The turbulence of change at work–pain and joy wrapped into one.
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- From left: Ruthie, Tim, Paula, Rosebud, Karin, Joyce (Bill’s wife), and Brad adding Bill’s picture to our Family of Friends Tree.
We have recently welcomed new staff and residents into our family of friends–welcome transitions! One resident comes with an important part of the history of our property. It was her daughter and son-in-law that put the beautiful addition on this house something like 35 or 40 years ago! They planned the addition to accommodate gatherings for their very large extended family. This new resident had a family of eight children which now includes their spouses, 18 grandchildren and their spouses and 18 great grandchildren!
The traffic flow pattern they planned for our beautiful home has been of great benefit to us. And now this resident’s family will have the opportunity to enjoy it again! In addition, her son-in-law has researched the history of the property and we hope to plan an event where he will share this history with us. Stay tuned to hear more about that coming event–where we can learn more about the many transitions this beautiful property has in its history.
For now, embrace the turbulence! Spring will come.