The women who came in the Mayflower

my family, country and culture; and the third is for those who would do harm to others, so God can touch their
hearts!
I acknowledge the great support Mom had from priests, brothers and nuns in school; my time as an Altar
Boy; and from those that taught me during the time I was deciding if I actually had a =calling‘ to be a Priest
myself.
It was, however, my mother‘s guidance (.Keep it Simple.) --- to not overthink or challenge in an attempt to
=find the easy path‘, that would lead me to the convictions, beliefs and =trust in God‘ that I hold today and have
through most of my life.
Parenthetically --- if you are interested in understanding Our Lord‘s Mercy and the unconditional mercy that
my mother imparted on her family, read the Diaries of Sister Maria Faustyna Kowalska ( Saint Faustina).
My mother practiced in a human sense the Mercy Our Creator gives each of us whom He created when we
seek His Mercy --- explained clearly and fully in Saint Faustina‘s diaries.
As noted earlier, I am the 2nd of 7 children. As I =pen‘ these words, all of my brothers and sisters are still
living and their families are =grown‘ --- for the most part are on their own. Their children are either well into, or
beginning the rewarding and fulfilling process of establishing and raising their families.
George was the first born --- on Corregidor in the Philippines on November 20, 1935. We spent our youth
together, being 3 ½ years apart in age. He settled, after a tour in the Navy, in the =Boston area‘ not far from
where Mom and Dad retired. He and his wife Mary Anne have raised two beautiful and talented daughters. The
eldest, Rebecca, is married and lives in the Boston area, where she and her husband, Alan, are raising two
daughters: Maeve and Aisling; and a son --- Aiden. George and Mary‘s 2nd daughter, Carolyn, faces the world
as a hardworking, =eye surgery‘ technician. She lives a few hours from her parents, giving both George and
Mary Anne great comfort. She works in San Antonio --- not far from Rockport and the Gulf of Mexico where
George and Mary Anne now live --- but its Boston in the summers!!
George and I, while =normal youth combatants‘ are, today, very compatible in beliefs, temperament, faith
and a =bunch of aging conditions‘!!
Patrick, the 3rd child was born at Fort Amador in the Panama Canal Zone on February 4, 1942 --- a few
months before my 3rd birthday. We also spent our youth together. Dad was reassigned to North Carolina, 3
days before Pat‘s birth and started a period in his life that demanded nearly 100% of his time. We did not see
Dad very often during the early part of Pat‘s life --- He was building from scratch, an Anti-Aircraft (Gun)
Battalion and then moved the unit to England to join the forces preparing for the Invasion of Europe during the
2nd World War. Dad‘s return from combat and into =our family lives‘, with a broken back and ankles was not a
smooth transition =back to normal‘.
During that period, Pat seemed to always be =in trouble‘ with Dad, even more so than the rest of us, a
perception that continued for many years. While I do not know why --- it may have had something to do with
Dad‘s recovery from serious injuries or his missing the early stages in Pat‘s development‘. Today, I can only
say that it was just that way; although Pat, as he got a little older, did enjoy =pulling Dad‘s chain‘.
Pat and his wife Barbara live in Dartmouth, Massachusetts and have two daughters: Kristen is married
(Evan) and they have no children; while Kara is not married, except to her love --- teaching. Both live near Pat
and Barb, which is very much to their liking!! Of all the children, Pat has faced the most difficulties with health
issues that resulted from =botched‘ spinal surgeries --- yet despite the severe pain and suffering, he remains a
=happy person‘ living life to the fullest.
One of the great memories I have of the 3 older brothers, was =finding country music‘ from our 3rd floor
=hideaway‘ and listening, from Leavenworth, Kansas, to a radio station broadcasting from Del Rio, Texas. I am
still a country music fan --- great stories --- told through great instruments and =soft voices‘. [I do admit that
today‘s =country music‘ does not meet the standards of my youth.]
Rosalie was born in Newport, Rhode Island on February 26, 1948, where I became an =Alter Boy‘ while in
the 2nd grade. As the first girl in the family, she had 3 brothers that, her parents saw as her defenders and she
saw as tormentors --- from a realistic point of view --- both; but mostly tormentors. She is married today to Russ
Myers. Her 3 children (Peter, Donald and Nicole), who are all adults, are well into finding their places in life.
While Rosalie and I were normal siblings; I gained an appreciation for her openness and her efforts to be like
Mom --- =an example‘ to be emulated.
Rosalie‘s life has been hard but she has, for the most part, been very happy. Her faith and positive attitude,
even when things are =dark‘ gives hope to those around her that they can succeed if .they don‘t give up!!.
Mary was born on October 19, 1950 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. A teacher I had in 4th and 5th Grade ---