Happy Birthday, Jim!

Dear Hearts,

February 29th is the birthday of Jim Clark: husband of Lisa; father of Cerece and Johanna; grandfather of four; son of James Sr. and Joy; brother, cousin and friend to many more.

Professionally, Jim is an experienced salesman in the security industry. Personally, his interests are diverse and rich--sports (a die-hard 49ers fan), cooking, golf, family, travel and enjoying the lovely home he and Lisa have created in Seattle.

Jim inherited much of his talents from his late father who taught Jim how to ride horses, compete in rodeo, work a ranch and cook, among others things. He's also added home improvement guy to his repertoire with a renovated kitchen!

Happy Birthday, Jim, and may you have 62 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, Tim!

Dear Hearts,

February 28th is the birthday of Timothy Aristotle Sullivan: son of Bob and Darlene: brother of John, Jim, Bobby, Paul, Mike, Pete, and Sister John Mary, Margaret and Ella; husband of Maureen; father of Gabriella, Brynn and Andrew; uncle, cousin and friend of scores more.

Tim continues his career with Merck working in the marketing aspect of the company. This has mellowed his business travel quite a bit and allows Tim to work from home. Living a short walk to the beach in Huntington makes this part of the arrangement particularly nice!

Family is and always has been the top focus in Tim's life and he will move mountains and swim seas for those closest to him. And he will do so with amazing energy, a smile on his face and pure love in his heart.

In the past several years, Tim and Maureen befriended an elderly neighbor who is widowed and without the support of family. With nothing but kindness and compassion, Tim went from taking out his neighbor's trash cans to bringing him into their home and overseeing his care. 

The day before my son John's wedding, Tim arrived with the usual smile, hug and happy attitude, then wowed us all with his skills in the kitchen. He chopped, cut and peeled veggies along side Lizzy and Georgia, but kinda scared a few of us when he was cutting up mangoes. No blood was shed, thankfully.

Happy birthday, Tim, and may you have 76 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, Lindsay!

Dear Hearts,

February 26th is the birthday of Lindsay Sullivan: daughter of Lee Lipscomb and David and Karen Smoot; wife of Michael; mother of Evangeline and Violet; daughter-in-law of John and Nancy; sister-in-law of Maggie and Matt; auntie of Brandon; teammate and friend to many more.

Lindsay continues her career as an executive of Information Management at Chemtrec, a company that streamlines the process of shipping and transporting hazardous materials. At home, her girls are her pride and joy, and Mike is her accomplice in all things cooking, creating, travelling and exploring.

In her spare time, Lindsay is passionate about disc golf, playing in the Professional Disc Golf Association for eight years. She competes in two divisions: Amateur and Amateur Master Women 40+. The sport is demanding with events held in almost every month of the year. Today, Lindsay has 120 matches under her belt with 62 wins.

So, happy birthday, Lindsay, and may you have 78 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, Nelly!

Dear Hearts,

February 27th is the birthday of Penelope Antoinette Sullivan: the youngest daughter of Mike and Shelly; sister of Jake, Mia, Seamus, Gus, Sophia and Max; granddaughter of Bob and Darlene and Don and Judy; cousin, niece and friend to many more.

Nelly is a beautiful girl with a sweet and mischievous personality. She is and always has been a happy, curious kid who goes with the flow and adds a goodness to everyone's day. 

Happy birthday, sweet Nelly, and may you have 115 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

God Bless John Jeremiah

Dear Hearts,

February 27, 1980 is John Jeremiah's last day. He was 11 years old when he was hit by a car in Phoenix.

On that day, Aunt Darlene and Uncle Bob gathered enough courage for the entire family, miraculously. The man who accidentally struck John never really got over it, and wept in the embrace of Bob and Darlene for many years afterward.

The siblings were struck with a wound of fierce pain. The cousins have tasted it, too. One year, Bob dreamed that his first-born son John was playing on a swing-set. Bob said, "When are you coming home?" John said, "Dad, I am home."

John, who would have been 55, is buried with Uncle Bob and Booma/Mom.

There are 13 John's in the family, 4 of them John Jeremiah's: John Jeremiah I was Lefty; John Jeremiah Jr. was Lefty's son, who only lived a few months; John Jeremiah II was Bob and Darlene's son, who lived 11 years. There is another John Jeremiah, and he starts the numbers over--he is the first, and maybe someday he will be Senior, and he is Pete's and Melody's son.

The other nine John's are John Joseph Whalen, patriarch of the Whalen; John William Sheehan, Boom Boom's father; Big Sully and Mary Claire's son, John Vincent Sullivan; Big Ange and Patty's son John Sullivan Bornhop; Pete and Melody's son, John Naime Herrington; Seamus the Younger and Erin's son, John Robert Sullivan; Mike and Joan's son, John Paul Sullivan; John Davis; and Dr. John Ullmen. We've got a full complement of Johns!

So, please look after us John Jeremiah, with Lefty and Booma/Mom, the Aunties and your Dad Uncle Bob, Big Sully, Mary Claire, Mary Fran, Boom Boom and Boompa, and The Ancestors.

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

Love, Patty

God Bless Antonina

Dear Hearts,

February 26th is the 186th anniversary of the birth of Antonina Grabska: wife of Josef Zinn; mother of Boompa's mom, Wanda, among other children.

She was born in 1837 in the Grand Duchy of Posen, part of ancient Poland, and she died in Chicago on February 28, 1909. Boompa, her grandson, was just 4 years old. So, Antonina was my great-great-grandmother.

Thank you, Grandma Antonina, for Boompa, and for being our Ancestor. Please watch over us all from your place near God.

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

Love, Patty

Happy Boirthday, Nancy!

Dear Hearts,

February 26th is the birthday of Nancy Nau Sullivan: daughter of Pat and Mike; mother of Jim, Mick, Miles, Amos and Franny; sister to Patsy, Janet, Liz, Nick, Felix and Peter; grandma, aunt, cousin and friend to dozens more.

Nancy continues her Blanch Murninghan Mystery Series with the recent publishing of "Mission Improbable: Vietnam." This title will join her previous works that are part of the Blanche Murninghan Mystery Series (Saving Tuna Street and Trouble Down Mexico Way), as well The Boys of Alpha Block and a memoir called The Last Cadillac. Additionally, her short stories have been published in several literary magazines.

Outside Northwest Indiana, Nancy has called a few other places home, including Anna Maria Island, FL, and Mexico--locations that seem to have offered lots of inspiration for her writing.

Happy Birthday, Nancy. May you have 47 more healthy ones by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

Love, Patty