It’s a strange day. On the one hand, it’s the family Christmas party, so there’s a good thing there. It’s always a good time with the in-laws, but Peggy won’t be here. On the other hand, I was working on my blog this morning when I came across an old open letter from 2012 to friends.

I am rereading all the old stuff as I post it, and this one hit me. It speaks of a time in my life before Peggy went to Pakistan for a year, and I had goals for my education that would change before completion. Now Peggy is gone again, and my career is not what I thought it would be 12 years ago. But the most striking thing was the people mentioned in the letter that we have lost in the last few years. I mention my Dog, my dad, and my siblings in this letter, and then I go on for a whole paragraph about my daughter. Since writing this, my Dog, Dad, Sister, and daughter all passed mostly in early or unexpected ways.

And tomorrow is my daughter Winter’s 30 birthday. So there are feelings. I need to go for a run.

After all that, here is the letter from 2012.

I have not written a letter to old friends in a while, so here is an update for you all.
As most of you are family, you already know the broad sweeping strokes of my life; however, for those who only read these Facebook posts every decade or so.
After I got out of the Army around 2002, I became a government contractor for a bit. Then I Married Peggy, and her job has been fun for the most part. Her career took us to Toronto for three years, where I got a culinary degree and made some great friends.
After we returned from Toronto, I fell into a sweet deal with the Veterans Administration, where they are sending me back to school to get a bachelor’s of psychology and a master’s in counseling or social work.
I am starting my Junior year in the bachelor’s program this fall, and the further I get, the more excited I am that I may have found the final career of my life. I really am enjoying the subject.
The end goal is to become a licensed therapist and work with veterans with PTSD. Due to my intimate knowledge of the subject, I have a degree of empathy for this group of people and hope that will help me to be good at it.
My daughter Winter has turned into an amazing young woman and is starting her senior year of High school this year. After that, who knows what she’ll do, but I have a feeling she will be great at it whatever it is. She is thoughtful, creative, and highly considerate of the people with whom she shares this world.
On the downside, in one week, Peggy and I will start a year of separation. Due to her career, she is being assigned to a place I can not go. Alternatively, if I go, I will have to give up on the degree plan that I am working for, and the funding will no longer be there if I take a break.
As the time of her departure grows near, I get really stressed, with giant butterflies beating my innards. Not because we won’t weather this, not due to the possible dangers of the place she is going to, and not because of any distrust of the strength of our commitment to one another. I just don’t want her to go. Anyway, enough of the suck is getting me even more anxious.
As for the great hoard known as clan Petrovich, Mom and Dad are well, and all my siblings are getting along relatively well with many nieces and nephews, which adds to the might of the clan. We had a close scare with my brother Troy recently, but he pulled through, and while we are still praying for a full recovery, we are thankful for the hurdles he has overcome already.
If you haven’t been near us in a bit, you may not know about Chloe and Guinness, two of the best companions I have ever had after Peggy and Winter. Both are long-haired miniature dachshunds and while I have always wanted a big dog, I have fallen under their spell.
Well, that’s everything on my mind today. It’s a bit of an update for you, but it’s more catharsis for me.
Till next time, take care
Michael