If my lifetime had a title it should be “New Beginnings”. I had so many of them, some self-induced, some fate.
In my childhood there were several new beginnings: After my parents got divorced my mother decided to return to Germany. It was 1966 when we moved from Los Angeles, California to Leichlingen, a small rural town in Northwestern Germany where my mother grew up. Eventually, she got married again and my handsome brothers Oliver, Sven and Lars were born.
Graduating high school marked a new chapter in my life. I decided to join the faith community “The Way to Jesus” in Rheinbreitbach, Germany. After twelve years I shed the uniform and moved out.
In order to rejoin civil life I had to completely start over and build a new career. I completed a year in a local trade school and began working for a law firm in downtown Cologne as a legal assistant.
In the years to follow I prepared for my migration back to the US. Since I was born in Glendale, California, I already had my American citizenship. Finally, in 2001 I moved from Cologne, Germany to Mesa, Arizona.
Professionally I had to redefine myself again. Eventually a door opened in Corporate America and I worked myself up from Administrative Assistant to Benefits and Payroll Manager.
Our Wedding in 2006 was a new beginning for both Bill and me. We actually met on a dating website the year prior. After a year of dating we tied the knot.
My heart surgeries between the years 2011 and 2015 forced a new beginning in my professional life, eventually resulting in my early retirement in 2020. This initiated a series of new beginnings both in my social life and in the pursuit of my interests. In the first few years of my retirement I have immersed myself in art, music, and creative writing – making new friends along the way.
So here’s to another beginning: a new website showcasing my artwork, my first book GENESIS: The Novel and last but not least our very own songs Bill and I recorded. Have fun browsing and …
Welcome to Art and Friends!
