March 2020 – LC Class of 1984 Alumni Letter
“
The only constant in life is change
”-Heraclitus.
Change can be welcome or unwelcome in our lives, but change will happen whether we want it to or not. We change jobs, moving across town or across the country. Some of us started a job right after college and continue there today, but even then, change happens with new technology, new co-workers, and new travel opportunities. Getting married, having children, or grandchildren, losing family members or friends, or going through concerns with our health are all changes that shape who we have become.
Our own personal journey began when we met at Luther and began dating after graduation. Paul started his career in Clinton, Iowa, moved to Spirit Lake, then to Cedar Rapids. After four years of long-distance dating, we got married, had two children, moved to New Jersey, had a third child, then moved back to Cedar Rapids where we have been for almost 24 years. We have been active with our children’s sports and school activities, Scouts, church youth groups, committees, and choirs. We have watched our children grow up, get married, and we now have our first grandchild.
Through all of these life changes, we have relied on our
faith
to be our compass to make the right changes
. Faith
that was learned first from our parents and then strengthened through our relationships in our journey growing up, on to our common denominator at Luther College, onward in our careers, personal choices, and our various church families.
Let us remind ourselves of the Serenity Prayer” written by the American theologian
Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Our final message regarding change is that Sonja and Paul will retire as Class Agents this year after 20 years. We welcome the new representatives – Chris Carron and Steve Wilke who will join Michele Minske as Class Agents in the fall. Let us welcome Chris and Steve on a fun journey ahead!
