Happy birthday, Aida!

Dear Hearts,

August 31st is the birthday of Aida Labto Whalen: wife of Christian Martin Whalen; mother of Karen and June; grandmother of Isabela, Seth, Jayden and Sophie; cousin, in-law, auntie and friend to many more. I may have missed some folks here, so I apologize for any omissions.

Aida works at St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center and loves living in Missoula. She cherishes the role of grandmother to her adorable little ones and spends as much time as possible with them--whether in Missoula, Florida or wherever her family calls home. She is loving, kind and always a pleasure to visit.

Happy Birthday, Aida, and may you have 58 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 Boom Boom

Dear Hearts,

August 30th is the 121st anniversary of the birth of Marie Frances Sheehan Wiley in Chicago. Everyone called her Boom Boom.

She is the grandmother of all the Chicago Sullivans and the Whalens, the mother of both of those mothers, Mary Claire Wiley Sullivan and Helen Wiley Whalen. She was the wife of Boompa, Irwin Vincent Wiley--married in 1925. They had two daughters and 14 grandchildren. They lived to see about thirty of their great-grandchildren. Boom Boom died on August 16th, 1997, at age 94.

I think Boom was a beautiful example of holding tight to the goodness of the past and embracing the future and all it offers. It's amazing to think about our world in 1903 and the changes she witnessed in her lifetime. She taught us about so much about loyalty, faithfulness and generosity. We all received the best quality of everything from Boom, with abundance.

Thanks for being such a wonderful presence in our lives Boom.

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

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Emma!

Dear Hearts,

August 24th is the birthday of Emma Jill Sullivan: daughter of Paul and Stephanie; sister of Hannah, Jack, Liam, Callum and Ewan Sullivan; granddaughter of Bob and Darlene and Jill and Robbie; cousin, niece and friend to many more.

As part of her undergraduate work at the University of Dallas, Emma has set off to the Rome campus where she will be studying and traveling for the next 4 months there. To add to the richness of the experience, her cousins Deedee and Mia will also be studying there.

So, she has left her younger brothers and rejoins Jack in the world of upper education. It will be wonderful to see how this athletic, artistic, strong, brave and smart young world traveler grows in her education and faith.

Happy birthday, Emma, and may you have 105 more healthy ones, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Kermit!

Dear Hearts,

August 24th is the birthday of Lawrence Kermit White III: son of Whitey (Lawrence Kermit White Jr.) and Signe; brother of Abigail and Dagne; friend of many.

Kermit is an aeronautical engineer who has kayaked with his father down the Missouri River in a reverse trace of the path of Lewis and Clark, traversed the entire Appalachian Trail (which is the climbing equivalent of climbing Mt. Everest 16 times), is an expert at detailing cars and an all-around great guy. Like his father and mother, he is what makes the country roll along.

Happy Birthday, Kermit, and may you have 79 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, Damian!

Dear Hearts,

August 21st is the birthday of Damian Michael Whalen: son of John and Helen; brother of Christian, Teresa, Lisa and Mercy; uncle, cousin and friend to many. For several decades he has shared his talents with this world as a high school counselor, professor and teacher.

Damian has a tender heart, creative mind and impressive intellect. He sees potential in everything which produces a positive outlook from a low-key guy. He would disagree, but I am continually impressed at his creativity and caring nature.

A conversation about British TV series with Damian will have you making a list of what to watch for the coming months. He also is absolutely hilarious and has left many of his cousins with some terrific stories of his visits to Southern California in the 1970s and '80s.

Damian is something of a caretaker of the Whalen homestead, living in the house in which they grew up and sharing lots of heritage and mementos with us all.

Happy birthday Damian, and may you have 57 more years, by the Aunt Joannie Sullivan Law of Longevity Aspiration of 2008.

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

Love, Patty

Happy Birthday, Miles!

Dear Hearts,

August 21st is the birthday of Miles Henry Isaac Jogues Sullivan: son of Seamus the Older and Nancy; brother of Jim, Mick, Amos and Francie; husband of Sarah; father of Maeve, James and Silas; uncle, nephew, cousin, bandmate and friend to scores more folks. Miles possess talents that continue to amaze all of us.

He is a gifted musician, able to play guitar, banjo, harmonica, piano and more. His singing voice is strong and full of character and emotion. Indeed, he states on his BandCamp page, "My goal is to help keep the classic traditions of American music alive today."

Apart from his music, Miles is also an entrepreneur in the business world and a hard-working and loving husband and dad at home.

Happy Birthday Miles, and may you have 83 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, Mikey!

Dear Hearts,

August 20th is the birthday of Michael Drexel Sullivan: son of Peter and Melody; brother of Annemarie, John, Matthew, Benjamin, Bo and James; grandson of Bob and Darlene and Melvin and Debra; cousin, nephew and friend to so many more. He has just started third grade!

Mikey remains full of curiosity, energy and joy--investigating little creepy crawlies, joining whatever game is being played, swimming in the pool, lake or ocean, and playing or cuddling with his siblings. He has dedicated himself to learning already--offering his family and friends lessons on various topics like U.S. Presidents, the solar system, geology or marine biology with an emphasis on Beluga whales. In the words of his mom, "You keep us informed of all that’s going on in the world  A wealth of info!"

Happy birthday, Mikey, and may you have 116 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