Holiday Letter 2015 from Seattle with Love

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river 

and he's not the same man.”

--Heraclitus--

Snowshoeing with OutVentures friends, April 2015

December 24, 2015

One thing in life is certain. Change. 2015 brought plenty to me.

• At this time last year, one job ended. A new one began this spring--overseeing communications for my spiritual home, St. Joseph, a Jesuit Parish on Capitol Hill, the neighborhood where I live. 
• Last year a new relationship began. In August, it sadly ended. 
• There was time with friends and family both here in Seattle and in Cleveland, Portland and New York City.  
• I sang with Seattle Mens Chorus, swam in Lake Washington and the Cantabrian Sea (Spain), snowshoed and hiked in the Cascade Mountains. 
• This fall I traveled to Portugal and Spain with my dear friend Jenny and soaked up the rich splendor and history of the Iberian Peninsula. Tracing the Route of Santiago de Compostela from west to east, visiting Guernica and Basque Country, discovering Bilbao, and rediscovering Barcelona and Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia were highlights of my trip.

Impromptu Cleveland visit with cousins Amy, Barb and Tom
Spring 2015

To all my beloved friends and family, I send peace, love, and joy. Thank you for your presence in my life. I love each and every one of you. My hope for 2016 is that we grow closer in our relationships and reach out to others who have less bounty and good fortune....that we put aside our differences and discover our commonalities....that we laugh more and cry when the spirit moves us. And more peace, definitely more peace.

P.S. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a few choice ones to capture this last year. 

family

Reunion with Fischbach/Grady cousins: Kathlene, Jan, Carole
(and Maureen, not pictured), Spring 2015


friendship

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and the Best New Year ever. 

Jack



life is a rainbow

Celebrating friends Brian & Joseph's wedding, August 2015

Cousins Peter & Betsy visit Seattle (l-r, Moi, Larry, Betsy,
Peter, & Kelly Riley), April 2015

St. Joseph Parish Center & Church, my new workplace,
a bike ride from home

soul

Jenny & Moi in the Spanish Pyrenees,
another trip of a lifetime, Nov 2015

stop
smell the roses 

At home at Garden Court, Loving the Tulips, Spring 2015

dance

life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them

some opportunities 

only come once...

seize them