Clinton Township Newsletter

3 m a y 2 0 2 5 Happy Mother's Day! CarolBeder ' s Happy Mother's Day from I was blessed with, by the randomness of birth, a wonderful Mom. She encour- aged us in many ways, especially anything art-related. I spent hours at Mom's side batiking, tie-dying, painting and drawing. When I began school full-day, Mom went to graduate school and got her Masters in Psychology. Occasionally, lacking a baby sitter, she'd take me to her night classes –fascinating! From those classes I learned that people are truly multi-faceted and I never looked at my fellow grammar school classmates the same way again. After complaining about something that happened on the playground, I got used to hearing Mom say, "And how did that make you feel?" Mom had a 40+ year career of counseling the drug and alcohol addicted, and the mentally ill. For that, (and all of you out there who are in the same line of work) I give her a huge amount of credit. Mom once told me that the recidivism rate for those who are recovering from addiction is about 9 out of 10 ; in other words, about 90% of recovering addicts will return to drugs and alcohol. That percentage is chilling. I asked her how, with those terrible odds, does she do it, to which she replied "I do it for the one [person who stays drug-free]." In her latest job, she had to make sure her patients were getting to their doctor's appointments, taking their prescribed medications, eating, etc. Some of them were homeless, and Mom actually had to take to the streets and track them down. Some were in-and-out-of jail, and she had to go visit them there. Her job regularly took her to neighborhoods that I would be very nervous to go into... and she was in her late 70's at the time. In 2012, I got the call that you never want to receive. It was my stepfather, saying, "I hate to tell you this, but your Mother's been in a terrible accident..." Like a punch in the gut, the news figuratively brought me to my knees. With, among other things, a broken neck, Mom spent a week in the ICU, two weeks in physical rehab, and lived with a neck brace for many months. Then, and only then, did she decide to retire. Mom, I love you so much – we are so blessed that you survived and that you are still with us. I'd like to say "Happy Mother's Day" to not only my Mom, but also to some of the women my Mom calls my "Other Mothers". My mother-in-law, the real Mrs. Flynn, who has been like a second mother to me for the past 37 years, and to my stepmother Pat, who is such a sweet and fantastic addition to our family. I always remember Ruth, the original owner of this publication and a dear friend, who made me laugh and was a daily inspiration. A combination of these four women is whom I aspire to be someday. As Clinton Township's self-appointed spokes-mom, I'd like to say to all of the kids out there: Please – study hard, work hard and make good choices. We moms are raising all of you, not just our own offspring – and it's an honor. You have an incredible future ahead of you – we know you'll make us proud. Sincerely, the Moms of Clinton Township. –Julie Flynn DAYS TO KEEP IN MIND Thursday May 1 May Day Thursday May 1 National Day of Prayer Saturday May 3 Kentucky Derby Sunday May 4 Star Wars Day ("May The Fourth Be...") Monday May 5 Cinco de Mayo Monday May 5 African World Heritage Day Monday May 5 Teacher Appreciation Week begins Tuesday May 6 National Nurses Day May 8 , 1945: Victory in Europe Day ("VE Day") celebrates the surrender of Nazi Forces to the Allies during World War II Friday May 9 Military Spouse Appreciation Day Sunday May 11 Mother's Day Monday May 12 International Nurses Day May 14, 1607: Founding of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America Thursday May 15 International Day of Families Saturday May 17 Armed Forces Day Monday May 26 Memorial Day Saturday May 31 National Smile Day

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