Birthday Memories: Sister Karlyn

I was making my first week of a silent retreat and I knew I would have my birthday in silence during that week. When I came to supper on August 25th, in silence, what greeted me seemed to be a hundred glowing vigil lights placed all over the dining room! I had been remembered by…

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Birthday Memories: Sister Debra

Sister Debra discerned her religious vocation later in life after raising a family. For one of my birthdays my daughters went to “Build a Bear Workshop” at my request.  They made me the sweetest bear ever.  They named him Xzavier Coffee and I just loved him. At my ministry in Portage I work with residents…

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Birthday Memories: Sister Jenada

Many friendships have been formed during years of participating in programs at St. Anthony’s Retreat Center in Marathon, Wis. Near my 70th birthday in August I stopped by the center with a friend. To my GREAT SURPRISE I walked into a room filled with many friends from near and far. “Happy Birthday!” was the cheerful…

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Birthday Memories: Sister Judy

August was usually the time that we had a family vacation with my grandparents at their cottage on Kelly Lake. Their neighbor next door had a large crop of the best sweetcorn! So it was a treat to just pick the ears that we wanted for our meal. Early August meant that the corn was…

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Birthday Memories: Sr. Deanna

On my 70th birthday my family surprised me with a big summer picnic. My siblings and their spouses and lots of nieces and nephews came to celebrate. A sad memory of that day was it was the last time I saw my sister Judy alive. She died three weeks later. She had Alzheimer’s and we…

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Birthday Memories: Sr. Kathleen

What I do remember from my early years is that I was born on my grandmother’s birthday, and every July 11th  the whole family (aunts, uncles, cousins) gathered at Grandpa & Grandma Wambach’s home to celebrate. I’m sure each July 11th was very special for me until Grandpa died and Grandma Catherine lived with various…

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Birthday Memories: Sr. Liz

I had never had a surprise party of any kind until my 60th birthday. On that day, Sr. Jane Eschweiler (with whom I was living at the time) and I decided to have a picnic supper at a nearby community park. After we ate, Sr. Jane said we would go to a frozen custard place…

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Birthday Memories: Sr. Jane

In 1997, for my 40th birthday I invited several Salvatorian friends to come out to our rented Lake Beulah cottage to spend the day. It was a perfect one. We swam, ate chocolate cake, laughed, blew bubbles in the sun and even got to fish off the pier. I have pictures from then which remind…

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Birthday Memories: Sr. Beverly

In February 2018, our family, relatives and friends buried my brother who had died unexpectedly in his sleep. At his funeral reception, talking about how much we enjoy seeing so many relatives and realizing it happens only at funerals, my brother and nephew decided then and there to host something for a happy occasion. They…

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Birthday Memories: Sr. Letty

A favorite birthday memory for me is when I was on an airplane on my birthday and the stewardess asked who had a birthday that day, so I raised my hand.  I don’t remember how old I was then and I have no picture of it (except in my mind). Behold the passengers and crew…

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