My family is the most important thing in my life.

It is where I begin and end. It is that from which I draw my strength and find reason for right and wrong.

A word about loss

Since 2004, our family has experienced two losses that have redefined us as family and brought us closer in ways we could never have anticipated. In 2004, my mother, Thelma Potter, passed away. At 94, her strength and loved defined our family. Her unquestionable and accepting love gave us a strength which will shape our family for generations to come.

In 2005, Kristy, Madison and Stella suddenly lost their beloved Art Morton. As a part of this family, he enriched who we are and our lives are unalterably changed for his having been with us. Truly, no one is an island. We touch and forever change the lives of those with whom we live.

These individuals will always be a part of this family and we lovingly miss them.

As individuals come into and leave the family, it remains a changing institution. A solid foundation for those who are a part of it, many times the family remains painfully a institution of choice.

A word about gain

The world seeks balance. With each loss, there is gain. Since the losses above, we have also gained as a family. We have grown and new friends and family have shaped us for generations to come. While we will not forget those who have gone on, we will welcome and learn from those who have been added to the family.

Jennifer and Michael Vance added to the family with Lillian and Andrew, two wonderfully bright and astitute children. Kristy met Mike Harris and Noah became an inevidiable force in the family. Buster and Amanda lit the future with Kayleigh and brought more love to the family.

That's where we are. A collection of very diverse and individual personalities that dare to call ourselves a family. We are bound not by laws, bloodlines and convention, but through love and commitment to the well-being and growth of each other. There will be loss and there will be additions, but each person who becomes a part of tthis family adds to and changes it forever. We are a living, changing source of strength and compassion. That is what makes us special.

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Last updated June, 2011