JUNE, 2022 – Quarterly Newsletter

June arrives with many school graduations. A particularly meaningful one for me is that my youngest grandchild has graduated from preschool and will start kindergarten full time in the fall. Trust me, that kid is READY!

I am so proud of him! And excited for him!

And also crestfallen for myself…

You may know that my “grandma name” is Marmel, that I have ten grandkids ages five to 16, and that when the oldest was two, we started “Marmel School” at my house. Any grandchild who was not in school full time came here all day on Mondays. During the summer and on Monday holidays, everyone was invited to attend. These days, it’s unusual for the teenagers to come over on a Monday, but it has happened. On occasion, therefore, I have tended ten kids! It is exhausting in an amazingly wonderful way.

And now Marmel School as I have known it for 14 years draws to an end.

I am reminded of a night long ago when my now 45-year-old son, Scott, was in preschool himself. He was four at the time. His sister, Shana, was two. There was a Daddy and Me night at the preschool and as Scott and his dad drove off to attend it, Shana ran after the car, chasing it down the street, all the time screaming, “Don’t leave me!”

Let’s just say I understand her sentiment.

What’s a Marmel to do? I see two steps to take. The first is to look back with gratitude. The second is to look forward with optimism.

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Looking Back with Gratitude: Photos of Marmel School through the years

Please be aware as you view the above photos that I am showing you the highlights reel of Marmel School, not the behind-the-scenes reality that was sometimes a bit messy. There was the day, for instance, when I accidentally showed porn to the kids. What can I say? Life happens. It’s often crazy at the time, but it makes for a good story after! 

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Looking forward with optimism, I plan to reinvent myself still again!

If your life is at a crossroads too, check out my two-part story on personal reinvention:

• Reinventing Yourself, a How-to
• Step-by-Step to Reinventing Yourself

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It wouldn’t be a newsletter if it didn’t mention a book or two…

Virgil Wander: Watch Virgil Wander as he comes back to life after a traumatic brain injury. Not even home feels like home. Indeed, Virgil says, the “previous tenant” is gone.

State of Terror: If you read my 5^th Tuesday Reports, you will know that I mention Washington Post Book Editor, Ron Charles, with some regularity. You will also know that I love this guy! He wrote a review for the next book that is possibly the funniest review I have ever read. Thus, I read the book…

Warning: The book is political! Some may hate it! My apologies if that is the case. This is a brief synopsis:

A newly elected U.S. President and his Secretary of State clean up the mess left behind by the previous and inept president, “Eric the Dumb.”

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And of course, I want you to know what’s new in my Etsy shop:

If you are looking for a new hobby, visit my Etsy shop to purchase a Make Your First Quilt Tutorial. It is illustrated with over 100 color photos to SHOW you everything you need to know. 

By the way, you can purchase the tutorial alone or purchase the tutorial + kit.

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A note in closing

Thanks for reading this quarterly newsletter. I am hoping two things:

• That you tell your friends about my blogs, newsletters, and book reviews and ask them to join my mailing list.
• That you will think of my Etsy shop whenever you need a gift.

Many thanks!

Lorie