MY FAMILY

HI, LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO MY FAMILY. SOME HAVE ALREADY PASSED ON, BUT THEIR MEMORY IS STILL STRONG IN MY HEART AND ALWAYS WILL BE , FOR THEY WERE INFLUENTUAL IN MY UP BRINGING AND THE SHAPING OF MY PERSONALITY.

I THINK THE FIRST AND FOREMOST PERSON IS MY MOM, PAULA, WHO ADOPTED ME AT THE AGE OF 5 AND PROVIDED ME WITH A HOME. SADLY, SHE PASSED ON IN 1997, AT THE AGE OF 77 AFTER A PROLONGED ILLNESS. AT THE TIME OF HER PASSING I HAD NOT SEEN HER IN 9 YEARS DUE TO THE FACT THAT SHE LIVED OVERSEAS, BUT IT STILL WAS VERY HARD ON ME AND I MISS HER EVERY DAY. SHE WAS A VERY SPECIAL WOMAN AND I COULD HAVE NEVER MADE IT WITH OUT HER.

THE NEXT ONE IS "OMA", EMILIE, SHE PASSED ON IN 1972, BUT SHE WAS THE ONE THAT DID THE MOST HANDS-ON UPBRINGING OF ME FROM THE AGE 2 1/2 TO 11 1/2 YEARS. SHE WAS MY MOM'S MOTHER. EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS BEEN GONE FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS NOW, I STILL MISS HER AND HER WISDOM.

TANTE HERTI - SHE IS MY MOM'S YOUNGEST SISTER AND ALSO HAD A BIG HAND IN RAISING ME. SHE IS 75 YEARS OLD AND RECOVERING FROM BREAST CANCER . SHE STILL LIVES IN GERMANY.

TANTE MARTA AND TANTE IRMI, THEY ARE MY MOM'S OTHER SISTERS AND THEY, AS WELL AS THEIR HUSBANDS ALSO WERE AN INTREGAL PART OF MY CHILDHOOD. TANTE MARTA'S SPOUSE PASSED ON IN 1988 AFTER SUFFERING A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK AND HE IS ALSO MISSED DEEPLY. BOTH OF MY AUNTS AS WELL ARE SURVIVORS OF CANCER AND STILL GOING STRONG, FOR BOTH OF THEM ARE IN THEIR 70'S AS WELL.

HANNELORE, WHICH IS MY MOM'S OLDEST DAUGHTER, AND HER HUSBAND, BERNHARD - WHICH I HAVE CALLED PAPA FROM MY EARLIST CHILDHOOD ( I WAS LUCKY, I GOT TO CHOOSE A FATHER!) PAPA HAS ALWAYS TREATED ME JUST AS IF I WERE HIS DAUGHTER. I COULD HAVE NOT HAD A BETTER DAD! BOTH OF THEM HAVE A DONE A LOT FOR ME THROUGH OUT THE YEARS. ALSO PAPA'S PARENTS - OMA AND OPA WIEDEMANN, THEY ALSO OPENED THEIR HEARTS TO ME AND MADE ME ONE OF THEIR FAMILY. THEY BOTH ALSO PASSED ON AND I DO MISS THEM TOO.

FINALLY, GINI, SHE IS MY MOM'S YOUNGER DAUGHTER AND ALSO MY BIRTH MOTHER. IT WAS DIFFICULT AT FIRST SINCE SHE DID NOT RAISE ME AND AT BEST, FOR THE MOST PART, WAS ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF MY LIFE. BUT IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A RELATIONSHIP AND WE HAVE OVER COME THE PAST. SHE LIVES IN THE USA, SO THERE FOR WE CAN SEE EACHOTHER AND SPEND TIME TOGETHER.

OTHER MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY INCLUDE:
MANFRED AND HIS WIFE AND THEIR 2 CHILDREN. MANFRED IS HANNELORE AND BERNHARD'S SON AND THE CLOSEST I HAD AS A SIBLING IN MY CHILD HOOD. FOR THE LONGEST I THOUGHT THAT HE WOULD NEVER GROW UP. BUT HE DID FINALLY. HE ALSO LIVES IN THE US. HE IS YOUNGER THAN ME.

THROUGH MY BIRTH MOTHER I ALSO HAVE 3 SISTERS - UTE, CORINNA AND SUSAN, THEY ARE ALL YOUNGER THAN ME AS WELL, THEIR SPOUSES AND THEIR CHILDREN. AND A YOUNGER BROTHER, MARK, WHO IS STILL UNATTACHED.

TWO OLDER COUSINS - TANTE IRMI'S SONS - BERNHARD AND WOLFGANG AND THEIR WIVES AND CHILDREN - EACH HAS A BOY AND A GIRL EACH.

IT IS SAD THAT I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF THEM IN AT LEAST TEN YEARS OR MORE, BUT SINCE WE ARE ALL KIND OF SPREAD OUT ACROSS 2 CONTINENTS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MEET OFTEN. BUT THEY ARE ALWAYS IN MY HEARTS AND THOUGHTS.

WELL, THIS IS A SHORT SYNOPSIS OF MY FAMILY. IT REALLY DOESN'T DO THEM JUSTICE, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH SPACE AVAILABLE. EACH OF THEM HAS A PLACE IN MY HEART AND LIFE, EVEN WITH THE PHYSICAL DISTANCES INVOLVED.

MY MOM

HANNELORE

PAPA - THE FATHER OF MY HEART

MY MOTHER

MY MOM - RIGHT FRONT - AND HER 3 SISTERS

MYFRIENDS

THIS PART IS DEDICATED TO MY TRIED AND TRUE FRIENDS THAT HAVE STOOD BY ME IN TIMES OF NEED AND DISPAIR. FRIENDS ARE MEASURED BY THEIR COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT, AND ALL THE ONES HERE ON THIS PAGE ARE THE FRIENDS IN DEED. I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH AND ARE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGDE OF COUNTING THEM AS MY FRIENDS.

FIRST AND FOREMOST ON THIS PAGE BELONG DAWN AND HER MOTHER, BARB, WHO HAVE MADE MY LIFE HERE IN DETROIT EASIER. THEY ARE MORE THAN JUST FRIENDS, THEY ARE MY FAMILY AS WELL. NOT BY BLOOD OR LEGALITY, BUT BY HEART AND SPIRIT. DAWN, HER HUSBAND DAVE AND THEIR CHILDREN - ERIC, TONY, JENNIFER, CHRISTINA AND NICKY ARE AS MUCH FAMILY TO ME AS ANY BLOOD RELATION OR IN-LAWS COULD EVER BE. JENNIFER IS THE DAUGHTER OF MY HEART AND I LOVE HER DEARLY. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"TRIXIE" SHE IS STILL IN GERMANY AND EVENTHOUGH I HAVE NOT SEEN HER SINCE 1988, WHEN EVER WE TALK, IT'S LIKE THE YEARS JUST DON'T EXSIST. WE MET IN 3RD GRADE IN SCHOOL AND BEEN FRIENDS EVER SINCE.

TINA, WE MET IN OUR TEENS, ABOUT 13 YEARS OF AGE AND HAVE BEEN FRIENDS EVER SINCE AND WE SHARED A LOT TOGETHER. AFTER NOT HEARING FROM HER IN OVER TEN YEARS, I FIALLY FOUND HER HERE IN THE US AND WE ARE BACK TO HANGING OUT, ALBEIT OVER THE PHONE.

WOLFGANG AND IRENE, WE WERE FRIENDS IN GERMANY, WOLFGANG AND I WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER AND IRENE AND I WERE FRIENDS AS WELL THERE TOO. THE 2 OF THEM GOT MARRIED AND RAISED A FAMILY, BUT WE HAD LOST TOUCH FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS, BUT I ALSO FOUND THEM AS WELL. AND IT IS GREAT TO BE IN TOUCH WITH THEM AGAIN.

RUTH ROGERS, I MET HER WHEN MY KIDS STARTED SCHOOL AND WE WORKED TOGETHER AS LUNCH AIDS AT THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. RUTH WAS THERE FOR ME AT THE LOWEST POINT IN MY LIFE AND I DON'T EXAGGERATE WHEN I SAY THAT SHE TRULY SAVED MY KID'S LIVES AND MINE AS WELL. WITH OUT HER I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY.

KAREN ZIELINSKI AND HER FAMILY WERE ALSO GREAT FRIENDS IN TIME OF NEED. SADLY THEY MOVED AWAY FROM MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND I HAVE NOT SEEM THEM SINCE.

NANCY CORSETTI AND HER FAMILY, THEY SURE MADE LIFE EASIER FOR MY CHILDREN AND ME. THEY ARE STILL IN THE NEIGHBOR HOOD AND I DO SEE THEM FROM TIME TO TIME.

DEBRA BANKS AND HER FAMILY, WONDERFUL PEOPLE THAT HAVE WELCOMED ME AND MY CHIDREN IN THE MIDST OF THEIR FAMILY WITH OPEN ARMS.

ALSO A VERY SPECIAL LADY AND HER FAMILY AS WELL -- MISS DOROTHY PRUITT AND HER FAMILY. THEY HAVE MADE MY FIRST YEARS BEARABLE, THEY TOOK MY KIDS AND ME UNDER THEIR WINGS. AND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING EVER, WE HAD LOST CONTACT FOR ALMOST 10 YEARS AND I FINALLY FOUND THEM AGAIN. WE WONT LOOSE EACHOTHER AGAIN!!

I FEEL THAT I SHOULD MENTION A COUPLE OF PEOPLE, THAT ALTHOUGH I NEVER MET THEM FACE TO FACE, HAVE BECOME WONDERFUL FRIENDS OF MINE. WE MET THROUGH THE INTERNET AND BEGAN A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP: MIKE AKA "WOODZEE" - ALWAYS THERE TO SHARE A GOOD CONVERSATION WITH, EITHER BY PC OR PHONE.

DARLANNE - SHE IS JUST A WONDERFUL FRIEND AND I AM GLAD TO HAVE MET HER. CATHY - A VERY SPECIAL LADY THAT IS A DEAR FRIEND TO MY HEART.

"SLEEPLESSNSOCA" - ANOTHER VERY DEAR LADY FRIEND THAT I AM GLAD TO HAVE MET.

THERE ARE MANY MORE PEOPLE THAT HAVE TOUCHED MY LIFE AND WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART FOR THEIR KINDNESS AND COMPASSION. MOST OF THEM HAVE MOVED ON AND ARE NOT, TO MY REGRET, CLOSE TO ME ANY MORE. BUT THEY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. I ALSO WANT TO MENTION A SPECIAL GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT I MET THROUGH MY WORK IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD. SOME OT THEM WERE MY PATIENTS THAT I TOOK CARE OF FOR A TIME OR MEMBERS OF THEIR FAMILIES, OR CO WORKERS. THEY HAVE ENRICHED MY LIFE BEYOND WORDS AND HERE IS A TRIBUTE TO THEM:

CLARABELLE, NINA, VIRGINIA, VIRGINIA, VIVIAN, ALTA, HARRY, SANDY, BONNIE, JUDY, KATE, LIZ, CAROLYN, PATRICK, CATHERINE AND HER DAUGHTER, FRANCIS, FRANCIS A., AND FRANCIS AGAIN, VIRGINIA AND GEORGE; THERE ARE OTHERS WHOSE NAMES I CANNOT RECALL AT THIS POINT, BUT THE WISDOM AND THE CARING THAT THEY EXTENDED AND IMPARTED TO ME DURING THE TIME THAT WE SHARED IS NOT FORGOTTEN AND IS ALWAYS WITH ME. THANK YOU . MY LIFE IS TRULY RICHER AND MORE MEANINGFUL BECAUSE OUR PATHS HAD CROSSED, HOWEVER BRIEF.

DAWN AND HER FAMILY

ANTONE - THE SON OF MY HEART, WE ALL LOVE HIM VERY MUCH

DALE - A DEARLY LOVED FRIEND THAT PASSED ON IN 1998

INDEX

MY ONE AND ONLY AND MY KIDS

MY PETS, HOBBIES AND INTERESTS

RICK'S GRADUATION AND OUR TRIP

CORY'S HOMECOMING 2002

MY SPRIRITUAL JOURNEY