“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.” -Anne Lamott

Our celebration of life turned out to be everything we dreamed it could be and more. Windsor Park was filled with people who helped us prior to, during and after my open-heart surgery.

Family, friends, nurses, technicians, neighbors, and people who followed our Heart Scene Series came to share the moment.  Friends from New York and New Jersey drove to Dallas to be a part of our celebration.  Just about every member of our cardiac rehab group and their spouses shared this special day with us.

While our guests visited the gardens, Dr. & Mrs. Michael Harsotock and members of their staff prepared the food in a section of the Hydrangea garden in front of the greenhouse.

Everyone raved about the Harostock’s barbeque chicken and the desserts.  Judy Strish’s multi-layered cake was a big hit with those who were fortunate to get a piece of the cake.

At about 4:20 p.m. it began to rain and within minutes our home was filled with guests who were getting to know people they had never met.  It was such a joy seeing people laughing, talking and having a good time.

If ever there was a community of the joyful, this was it.

There were so many highlights; it is impossible to share all of them.  Here are a few.

We finally met the woman from Old Forge who we have been corresponding with since Windsor Park Stories was first broadcast on WBRE TV.  For two years we have been known to one another in our e-mails.  During her bout with breast cancer and my open-heart surgery we provided encouragement and hope to one another. Last Saturday we met Bev in front of the garden at Windsor Park.

It was good to meet our friend Bev from Old Forge on this day of celebration.

Many former students shared this special day with us.  It always makes our hearts glad to spend time with the young people we taught. On this day we met the husband of one of our nurses in the step-down unit. Little did either of us know that he was a student in one of my courses in the 1970’s.  Standing in front of my editing suite I was blown away when Nurse Colleen Mahon’s husband look me in the eye and said; “I got a B+ from you and I was very happy with that grade.”

We were having a wonderful conversation about education and standards at the time.

What a moment.

Gerry O’Donnell and His wife Barbara are new friends who we met for the first time on Saturday.  During my recovery and after we purchased our Prius at Motorworld, we wrote an article about our salesperson.  We titled it Sam’s World.

Several moths later Gerry who is the CEO at Motorworld wrote to ask for help with a gift he wanted to make to the family of a serviceman killed in combat. Gerry and I began to exchange e-mails about the Heart Scene series. On Saturday just before it started to rain, Gerry and I met on the edge of the Hydrangea garden in Windsor Park.

Louie Bigarelli and his wife Helene sat under the Chinese Dawn Maple tree. Several members from my Cardiac Rehab Group joined them there. Joan Grossman who manages the Saxon Pavilion for the Wyoming Valley Health Care System where we did our cardiac rehab had a broad smile on her face every time we met. She and her children enjoyed every aspect of the party and the garden.

The members of Brighter Light took up residence under the Bradford Pear tree on the green in front of the park.

Our dear friends the Pizzanis, the Booses, the Yedloskis and the Zikors all parents of former students had a wonderful time meeting and greeting members of our Shanksville visits and our Windsor Park Stories Family.

Barbara Hack sat at the table in the greenhouse and greeted small groups of people who would stop, sit and visit.

Wherever one looked they saw, good fellowship, smiling faces and people who were here to experience the moment and have a good time.

At one point a huge yellow truck carrying the sound equipment Mike Lewis had ordered for the concert arrived. After a brief conversation with Eric and Chris, the truck disappeared over the hill on its way to Misericordia.

If ever there was a perfect event in Windsor Park, this was it. At one point in the day when virtually every room in our home was filled with the 120 people who were sharing the moment, I thought to myself this is the way life should be.  This is a home filled with very good people.

Someday I hope to write the piece that is worthy of that title.

A Concert for Life At Misericordia University

With sweet memories of the afternoon events energizing us, we headed for Misericordia University and the last event of the day.

Thanks to the wonderful support from Misericordia administrators and Sister Jean’s assistant, Kim Caffery, the cafeteria in the Banks Student Center at College Misericordia became Club Windsor Park for the next three hours.

It is the largest room in the Banks Student Center, and it was set up for the beginning of Diversity Camp. There was a large stage and theatrical lighting. It was perfect for our performers, Erin Canedy, Erica Leigh, Mike Lewis, Martin Anderson and Johnny Richardson.

What an evening of music.

Erin Canedy whose performances include an appearance on the Today program set the tone for the evening with selections that touched the heart.  She knocked me off my feet when she read a poem written for the occasion by Bill Gaydos.

I loved every word and I was struck by the goodness of the author.

After her performance, I felt compelled to share these thoughts with our audience: “Watching a talented young student like Erin makes me want to return to the classroom. She is an outstanding young woman and her parents have every right to be very proud of her.”

Erin Canedy, a recent high school graduate, a performer with dignity and class, gives the members of my generation hope for the future of our country.

Erin Canedy will return to Windsor Park on July 25, to sing at the Irish Teachers Festival.

Then Eric Leigh took the stage, and she wowed everyone in the room with her unique voice and her original compositions.

Erica is a talented performer and songwriter.  Her rendition of "Better Place (Tammi's Song),” a song she wrote with Mark Oliverius to memorialize her sister touched my heart in a very special way. The words she used to describe this song were poignant and meaningful: “It took me 18 years and a song to count my blessings.”

Watching Erica perform, I thought to myself the reviews of her work are absolutely correct, this is a woman who has major league written all over her. She has ability, talent and presence.  Someday we will see her name in lights.

Kitch and I are looking forward to her performance at the Wyoming County Fair in August and her performance at The Irish Teachers Festival in Windsor Park on July 25.

Erica Leigh is a blessing in our life.

Introducing Mike Lewis and his group was something I had been looking forward to.

No one has been more kind to Kitch and me during the days preceding my surgery and the weeks following it than Mike Lewis.  Every day he called with words of concern, support and encouragement. His visit here with Byron Joyce during my recovery was one of the best days of the summer. It was a genuine "opportunity day" of conversation, laughter and companionship.

For many years, Mike has been a constant in our life in good times and bad.

On this night in a room full of family and friends accompanied by Martin Young and Johnny Richardson, two talented musicians from Nashville, Mike Lewis gave the performance of a lifetime.  It was magical in every respect.

Special to my heart was his rendition of I Say Fly, the song he wrote for our Miracle Project, Believe It All, Love You and Me. The orchestrations of these songs are heard frequently heard on Windsor Park Stories.

During one of the introductions, Ellen Mondlak appeared out of nowhere, tapped me on the shoulder and asked for the microphone. Speaking softly, she explained what she had been doing to surprise Kitch and me the past few weeks, and surprise us she did.

Ellen has been my friend since 1955 when we were freshmen at St. Mary's High School. Ellen is the person who came to the garden day after day to help us get it ready for the festival. Grinning from ear to ear, she presented us with a gift that took my breath away.

What a moment!

Regaining my composure I turned the program back to Mike, and he sang one of our favorite songs, Lovin' You.

At one point Mike said to the audience, I don’t want to keep you too long, I know its been a long day.  The crowd rejoined in one voice. “Keep playing.”

He did.

We loved it.

Everyone should have a friend like Mike Lewis.

Our celebration of life turned out to be everything we dreamed it could be and more. My only regret is that Mike's parents were not able to be there to celebrate his moment.

Thank You Dr. & Mrs. Michael Harostock

Thank you Kim Caffrey and Misericordia University

Thank You Ellen & Jerry Mondlak

Thank You Joe and Jeff Yedloski

Thank You Ed Kopec

Thank You Erin Canedy

Thank You Erica Leigh

Thank You Mike Lewis, Martin Young, Johnny Richardson

Thank You family, friends and Supporters of Windsor Park Stories

Thank You kitch

Anne Lamott is right. Eventually the dawn does come.

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