Happy Birthday, Erin!

Dear Hearts,

April 5th is the birthday of Erin Louise Coffey Sullivan: wife of Doctor Seamus the Younger; mother of John, Annie, Kathleen, Thomas, Peter, Maggie, Joseph, Brigid, Seamus and Patrick; sister of eight siblings; grandmother, daughter, aunt, cousin, in-law and friend to hundreds more.

Erin's faith is strong and beautiful. Her sense of humor is wonderful. And her steadfastness as a wife, mother, sister, grandma and friend is quite admirable and appreciated by all. She has been a home-school teacher in Omaha for many years, and clearly succeeding--the older kids have begun graduating from college and beginning their own families!

Erin is now a grandmother and is looking forward to more grandbabies and family weddings in the coming year.

Happy birthday, Erin, and may you have 71 more healthy ones, respectively, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Dear Hearts,

April 5th is the birthday of Daniel Sullivan Glick; son of Brian and Margaret; brother of Elizabeth, husband of Amanda; father of Holden; grandson of Dody and Mom (Daniel's names for Big Sully and Mary Claire) and Jack and Dawn; nephew, uncle, cousin, in-law and friend to scores of others.

Daniel is a Firefighter Specialist with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and worked through incredibly challenging times in the Palisades and Alta Dena fires in January. In his work he provides support to the firefighters in a variety of ways and in various scenarios. He is also responsible for the maintenance and discharge of station vehicles.

Daniel remains a renaissance man with many diverse talents. He adores his boy Holden and takes every chance to spend time with him.

So, happy birthday, Dano, and may you have 87 more healthy ones, respectively, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Nancy

Dear Hearts,

Nancy, center, and a few of her true admirers.

April 3rd is the birthday of Nancy Carol Sands Sullivan: daughter of Donald and Florence, sister of Sandy, wife of John; mother of Mike, Maggie and Matt; grandmother of Evangeline, Violet and Brandon; in-law, cousin, aunt and friend to many more.

Nancy continues to live her life with constant strength and goodness. Since I met her way back when, she has been consistently kind, smart and funny as heck. Her humility is incredible as this woman is so gifted in so many aspects of her life! Nancy is an award-winning photographer and terrific musician, and she can design and produce a bountiful garden as well as a delicious meal.

She is a true champion of children, giving them time, patience and whatever tools/toys they need to be successful or just have a blast at playtime. Nancy has been my go-to comrade in all things chocolate and Nutella cookies/balls will remain in my top three favorite desserts.

Happy Birthday, Nancy, and may you have 51 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Jo!

Dear Hearts,

April 1st is the birthday of Johanna Frances Clark: daughter of Lisa Whalen and Jim Clark, niece, cousin and friend to a whole bunch others.

Jo is an adventurous and creative person. Living in Seattle, Jo is working as a baker and manager at Belle Epicurean, a high-end bakery serving delicious pastries throughout the state of Washington.

So, happy birthday Jo, and may you have 97 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Joan!

Dear Hearts,

Joan flying high with her brother and sister!

April 1st is the birthday of Joan Shepson Sullivan: wife of Mike; sister of Paul and Lynn; mother of Katie O. and John; grandmother of Caroline, Charlie, Grace, Mickey and June; sister-in-law, aunt, cousin and friend to scores more. She is, in fact, the author of the Aunt Joannie Sullivan's Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008 which is invoked at the end of every Dear Hearts greeting. Click here for more information on that law.

Joan is probably the most kind and compassionate person I know. Her patience and loving perspective always inspires me. Throw in her terrific and usually understated sense of humor and it always makes for a wonderful time. 

After a professional career and raising children, Joan has become an extraordinary woman in retirement, developing new skills in photography, Lego building and bird watching. She is an extraordinary grandma too! Joan also cherishes the times she gets to squeeze in visits with her brother and sister.

Happy birthday, Joannie, and may you have 43 more healthy ones, by your law--the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Dear Hearts,

April 1st is the birthday of Patrick Joseph Sullivan: son of Bobby and Nicole; brother of Jeremiah, Ella and Thomas; grandson of Bob, Darlene, Ron and Celia; nephew, cousin, teammate and friend to dozens more.

Patrick is a young man whose confidence and humility makes spending time with him very enjoyable. He continued the tradition as the fourth of his immediate family to attend UD.

So, happy birthday Patrick, and may you have 103 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Steven!

Dear Hearts,

April 1st is the birthday of Steven Wolfgram, Jim's fellow soldier who taught Jim more about courage and duty than just about anyone in the Army.

He was born in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and currently resides in Washington State enjoying some of the most beautiful sunsets on the globe from atop a hill overlooking the Pacific.

Jim describes Steven as very hard-nosed and very fair and very human. Indeed Steven has been honored with some very impressive accolades, including the Silver Star, an honor right under the Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross.

Outside of his professional soldier work, he is a very interesting man with great compassion and creativity for life. He is very funny and loves music, cooking, gardening and traveling the world. Steven's gratitude and awe for his family is also clearly evident.

Happy birthday, Steven, and may you have 42 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Anticipation of 2008.

God bless us and save us and keep us from harm.

Love, Patty