Good in the 'Wood: Blogger's Love Letter to Kirkwood

Greetings, gentle readers...I am back.

I have returned to blogging after a summer hiatus.

Last May, I was all set, mentally, to write my last blog post for several weeks, after attending a field trip with my youngest son, finishing up his 7th grade year.

(Most likely, that May day was my last field trip. Once kids hit 8th grade, the parents aren't really invited on field trips any longer.)

We headed out to Busch Conservation area in St. Charles...it was a warm, beautiful May day with kids fishing, seeking out bugs, enjoying lunch outside. One kid even took a hook in the mouth and then took a speedy trip to the hospital.  That was quite the adventure, especially for him.

My title was going to be, "All Good Things Must Come to an End."  This would be referencing the end of an era...my 'Field Trip Era.'

But then... an accident happened. A terrible, awful, horrible train accident. Right here. Close to home. Close to all of us.

A family, similar to ours, here in Kirkwood...a son, a brother, a friend... suddenly, just gone.

Of course, I could not bear to sit down and write that column. I had no words. The title I had thought of in advance now had a terrible, awful implication regarding the loss of a young, innocent life.

Then, another tragedy, on the 4th of July holiday when a friend's family lost their daughter.

And then a family close by, in Glendale, destroyed. What?

Haven't we all been through enough? It hardly seems possible it was 4 1/2 years ago that the violence at city hall shook our lives, the earth under our feet, our little Kirkwood corner of the world.

Our community came together then, and this summer, to support those who lost so much...with love, prayers, and even benefit events to help families in need.

I have written here before about hope, about striving to be a positive person through pain, whether it comes from disease, violence, or simple unkindness.

I just love living here. I love the people, I love our downtown, I love our many green parks, our many churches and schools, our whole community.

We are brought together by more than geography. We spend time together at local gatherings like the . We hang out at local establishments like the , , or the one of the many watering holes in town. We work and volunteer together to create this community, rich with history; diverse in people.

With hope and positivity I begin a new venture this fall. Years and years ago, when our kids were still very young, I became more involved in our schools by writing a PTO newsletter for one of our elementary schools in the .

I thought then, and many times since then, that our community could use a positive, fun, editorial voice. A voice to note the goings-on in our school district and city. More of a "big picture" of the school district and town than individual school newsletters can cover. A personal voice; a grass-roots effort. 

I announce the start of The Kirkwood Quarterly: Officially Unofficial.  With the support and votes of confidence of friends, both old and new in Kirkwood, the Kirkwood Quarterly will be a positive, fun, informal email newsletter about Kirkwood, both our fair city and Kirkwood School District.

I am excited to continue my Patch blog, focused on family, parenting, fitness, fun and life, so stay tuned. I am excited to pay tribute to our wonderful home city in this new venture. I hope you are with me in our support and love for Kirkwood. We may not always agree, but we can and will move forward, through both tragedies and celebrations, together.

The first email will be sent mid-September...if you would like to be added to the list of recipients, email me directly at thegloyds@sbcglobal.net.