May 29, 2024 • 13 mins
Hello! 👋 send me a text message! Tell me what your thoughts 💭 are about this episode
I am so happy to be back again to our favorite forever home on the St. Lawrence River! 🌊 I find myself surrounded by nature's simple yet profound joys. Picture ducklings 🦆 learning to swim, and the harmonious dawn 🌅 chorus of robins 🎶— showcasing the wonder of nature! As I prepare for my 40th high school reunion 🤯, memories of cherished relationships from my past, particularly my late sister JoJo, 🤍 and dear friend Jolene, 🤍 bring a bittersweet comfort. 🦋🕊
In this heartfelt episode of Nearest And Dearest Podcast, I also reflect on reconnecting with old friends and the significant impact of my early days with Woody. Join me as we honor Memorial Day, 🇺🇸 celebrating the deep connections that shape our lives through a family cookout that underscores the essence of togetherness. 🫶
LINKS!
- julierogers@nearestanddearestpodcast.com ( send me YOUR story! 📧 I will share it on a future episode! ❤️)
- https://youtu.be/vTnWFT3DvVA?si=RiqXTiVRi4CnQPXt ( Carrie Underwood's See You Again video )
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Julie Rogers (00:06):
No one ever said life is easy, but I believe by
giving yourself permission, youwill find you have more control
over your life than you realize.
I'm Julie.
I hope you will join me bytaking responsibility for
yourself, by only controllingthe things you can and letting
go of the things that you can't.
By doing this, you will havediscovered the secret to having
(00:31):
happy, healthy and morefulfilling relationships.
This is Nearest And DearestPodcast.
I'm Julie Rogers and you arelistening to Season 3, episode 5
, See You Again.
I am back home at my all-timefavorite place in the world, the
(00:51):
mighty St Lawrence River inNorthern New York.
I have been enjoying gettingreacquainted with the blue water
, blue skies, fluffy whiteclouds that are so big that you
feel you can reach out and touchthem, green grass, the trees
that have bloomed with theirvarious shades and the
(01:13):
springtime flowers that welcomedWoody and I back home.
I love watching the hens withtheir ducklings on their backs
floating around the river, theirmother protecting them until
they quickly zoom off theirlittle webbed feet moving so
fast, practicing their swimmingwhile looking for something to
(01:34):
eat.
Canadian geese, blue herons andseagulls are part of our
everyday viewing pleasures.
Aside from the poo messes thebirds make.
I enjoy watching nature intheir habitat.
Hearing the robins singingearly in the morning helps me
start my day in a cheery way.
(01:54):
Even listening to the cricketsand frogs at night, with a fresh
breeze blowing in from ourwindows, allows me to doze off
more peacefully.
It usually takes Woody and I acouple of weeks to get our home
in order.
I just planted some annualflowers to brighten up our decks
(02:16):
.
Woody pulls the boat out of thebarn and gets it ready for the
summer.
Sean came for a visit this pastMemorial weekend.
He is the first to come to theriver this year.
He visits with friends he hasfrom back in his high school
days while he's here, it's greatseeing him reconnect.
Okay, here we go.
(02:38):
My 40th high school reunion isthis summer.
That's a big number, to say outloud.
I didn't graduate with thosekids I went to school with in
New York in 1984 because my mommoved me and my younger sister
back in the summer of 1983 toConnecticut, which was my senior
(03:02):
year that fall.
I haven't seen my classmatesand friends since then.
Through Woody's encouragement,we are going to Watertown New
York's reunion in July.
I reached out to a friend,Michele, who shared the reunion
on classmates.
com.
We reminisced about our schoolyears since elementary.
(03:30):
She said it was no problem forme to go because I wasn't sure
if it was appropriate since Ireally didn't graduate with
everybody, but it will be somuch fun seeing familiar faces
and chatting about our memories.
I've already looked up 1984'syearbook from the archives
through the local library onlineand I also just realized a
(03:51):
connection.
My oldest grandson, Henry,graduates high school this year.
We are driving down toConnecticut in less than two
weeks to see his bigaccomplishment.
And here's the thing, what acoincidence that it was 40 years
ago when I graduated highschool.
How crazy is that?
(04:12):
! Part of coming back home toNew York this year is the
reality that my youngest sister,JoJo, and our very good friend
Jolene are not here with us.
It has been two years sinceJoJo passed this month and it
will be two years since Jolenepassed this coming September.
(04:33):
They both are gone way too soon.
I miss them every day.
I keep their spirit alivethrough photos, conversations of
past family get-togethers,seeing their family and feeling
blessed to have had them in mylife.
I know I'll see them again,even hearing certain songs that
(05:03):
pop out of nowhere instantlyconnects me.
So I was looking for an oldemail address
the other day.
I was in the sent section in myYahoo mail account.
I've kept some emails from wayback that I have never deleted.
I came upon the very firstemails I ever sent Woody, along
with some of his replies.
It was fun reading through allof them again.
(05:27):
It reminded me how much of animpact he left on my heart when
we first met.
I sent them soon after he leftto go back home to Georgia.
It was the summer of 2012.
I'll never forget the day hewas leaving.
We spent almost every day andnight together during those
(05:49):
three weeks he was visiting.
He gave me a big hug and hesaid I will see you again.
Do you know the song I Will Seeyou Again by Carrie Underwood?
When that song came out in thespring of 2013, I couldn't help
but feel connected to it.
(06:11):
I instantly remembered Woodyspeaking those words to me the
summer before.
He didn't break his promise.
We saw each other twice, oncein Atlanta, Georgia, that
November, and the other inHartford, Connecticut, by
January of 2013.
By spring of 2013, we weremaking plans to meet in Cozumel,
(06:37):
Mexico.
I'd never been to Mexico and Iwas excited to see Woody there.
It was there where we both saidI love you for the very first
time, and I was ready to show mycommitment by moving down to
Georgia later that early Fall.
(07:00):
My family had a get-togethercookout at my sister Jill's home
this past weekend.
It was great seeing more of myfamily since we came back to New
York, Sean doesn't always get achance to see all of them in
one place, so it was nice thatJill made that happen.
As Memorial Weekend was windingdown, I've been thinking about
(07:22):
the men and women who gave theirlives for our American freedoms
.
It is the ultimate sacrifice.
I have family members who haveserved in the armed forces and I
am forever grateful when theycame back home.
I have a nephew currently whois in the Army.
(07:43):
Raul just came back home from amonth-long training session.
He is stationed at Fort Drum,New York.
We proudly display the Americanflag off of our deck here on the
River.
The other night, Woody starteda small fire in our fire pit
just as the sun was going down.
(08:04):
I finally got to roastmarshmallows with Sean and
enjoyed the yumminess of s'mores, sticky fingers included.
The three of us were relaxing,listening to the waves clap
against the seawall, especiallyafter a motorboat glides by,
(08:25):
hearing the laughter of ourneighbors playing basketball,
the chirping of the birds andinsects, and simply just being
peaceful.
As we were ready to go insidefor a game of Yahtzee, I
couldn't help but notice how theflag looked, with the solar
(08:46):
light beneath it glowing as theevening sky was getting darker.
It has always been there.
Perhaps it's just me feelingsentimental and patriotic, but I
took a photo of it with theembers of the fire still glowing
, with their red sparks in thebackground.
(09:07):
Let's not forget all the fallensoldiers who fought valiantly
for our freedoms.
We will always owe them a debtof gratitude that can never be
paid back.
Never take our freedoms forgranted.
Show your family members,friends, neighbors and the
(09:28):
community you live in, whochoose to serve our country in
any of the armed forces theutmost respect.
Without them, our freedomscould be taken away.
Thank you for listening.
Stay tuned for another specialepisode about the Carleton
(09:52):
Island Villa.
This huge renovation projectthat Ron Clapp has committed to
is still moving forward.
I'm excited to sit down withhim very soon and discuss the
newest updates and the vision hesees for the future of this
once magnificent historicalpiece of history.
(10:13):
I'm going to re-release thethree original episodes from
that special series titledCarleton Island Past And Present
.
The first episode CarletonIsland Past And Present - The
Old Fort, I share theperspective from James H Durham
(10:33):
who wrote the book The Old Fortback in 1889.
It is his take on the historythat happened during the
American Revolution and the Warof 1812.
The second episode is CarletonIsland Past and Present -T he
Wyckoff Villa.
In this episode I share thehistory of the first
(10:54):
architectural masterpiece in theThousand Islands of New York
that was built during the GildedAge.
It is the story of how WilliamOsmond Wyckoff, an immigrant who
came to New York to become asuccessful businessman from very
humble beginnings.
It is a testament to workinghard to achieve the American
(11:17):
dream.
The third episode is CarletonIsland Past And Present -
Renovation Of The Villa.
This was my first sit-downinterview ever that I had with
Ron and Janaina inside the Villa, where the Grand Library once
was.
It was an incredibleopportunity for not just me but
(11:40):
for Woody as well, who camealong with us.
We were able to have a personaltour of this famous piece of
history.
Just walking the grounds wassurreal for us.
You will get a sense ofdetermination, commitment and
passion that Ron and Janainahave with this huge undertaking.
(12:05):
As you can imagine, arenovation project of this
magnitude requires patience,perseverance, compromise and
faith.
Please share any of thesespecial series episodes with
anyone you know who is a historybuff and supports restoring and
(12:28):
renovating landmarks that arevital to preserve our history.
It's not just for the presentgenerations but, even more
importantly, our futuregenerations to come.
(12:48):
The views and opinionsexpressed by Nearest And Dearest
Podcast are those of theauthors and do not necessarily
reflect the official policy orposition of Nearest And Dearest
Podcast.
Any content provided by JulieRogers or any other authors are
of their opinion.
They are not intended to malignany religion, ethnic group,
(13:09):
club, organization, company,individual or anyone or anything
.
Thank you.
No one ever said life is easy, but I believe by
giving yourself permission, youwill find you have more control
over your life than you realize.
I'm Julie.
I hope you will join me bytaking responsibility for
yourself, by only controllingthe things you can and letting
go of the things that you can't.
By doing this, you will havediscovered the secret to having
(00:31):
happy, healthy and morefulfilling relationships.
This is Nearest And DearestPodcast.
I'm Julie Rogers and you arelistening to Season 3, episode 5
, See You Again.
I am back home at my all-timefavorite place in the world, the
(00:51):
mighty St Lawrence River inNorthern New York.
I have been enjoying gettingreacquainted with the blue water
, blue skies, fluffy whiteclouds that are so big that you
feel you can reach out and touchthem, green grass, the trees
that have bloomed with theirvarious shades and the
(01:13):
springtime flowers that welcomedWoody and I back home.
I love watching the hens withtheir ducklings on their backs
floating around the river, theirmother protecting them until
they quickly zoom off theirlittle webbed feet moving so
fast, practicing their swimmingwhile looking for something to
(01:34):
eat.
Canadian geese, blue herons andseagulls are part of our
everyday viewing pleasures.
Aside from the poo messes thebirds make.
I enjoy watching nature intheir habitat.
Hearing the robins singingearly in the morning helps me
start my day in a cheery way.
(01:54):
Even listening to the cricketsand frogs at night, with a fresh
breeze blowing in from ourwindows, allows me to doze off
more peacefully.
It usually takes Woody and I acouple of weeks to get our home
in order.
I just planted some annualflowers to brighten up our decks
(02:16):
.
Woody pulls the boat out of thebarn and gets it ready for the
summer.
Sean came for a visit this pastMemorial weekend.
He is the first to come to theriver this year.
He visits with friends he hasfrom back in his high school
days while he's here, it's greatseeing him reconnect.
Okay, here we go.
(02:38):
My 40th high school reunion isthis summer.
That's a big number, to say outloud.
I didn't graduate with thosekids I went to school with in
New York in 1984 because my mommoved me and my younger sister
back in the summer of 1983 toConnecticut, which was my senior
(03:02):
year that fall.
I haven't seen my classmatesand friends since then.
Through Woody's encouragement,we are going to Watertown New
York's reunion in July.
I reached out to a friend,Michele, who shared the reunion
on classmates.
com.
We reminisced about our schoolyears since elementary.
(03:30):
She said it was no problem forme to go because I wasn't sure
if it was appropriate since Ireally didn't graduate with
everybody, but it will be somuch fun seeing familiar faces
and chatting about our memories.
I've already looked up 1984'syearbook from the archives
through the local library onlineand I also just realized a
(03:51):
connection.
My oldest grandson, Henry,graduates high school this year.
We are driving down toConnecticut in less than two
weeks to see his bigaccomplishment.
And here's the thing, what acoincidence that it was 40 years
ago when I graduated highschool.
How crazy is that?
(04:12):
! Part of coming back home toNew York this year is the
reality that my youngest sister,JoJo, and our very good friend
Jolene are not here with us.
It has been two years sinceJoJo passed this month and it
will be two years since Jolenepassed this coming September.
(04:33):
They both are gone way too soon.
I miss them every day.
I keep their spirit alivethrough photos, conversations of
past family get-togethers,seeing their family and feeling
blessed to have had them in mylife.
I know I'll see them again,even hearing certain songs that
(05:03):
pop out of nowhere instantlyconnects me.
So I was looking for an oldemail address
the other day.
I was in the sent section in myYahoo mail account.
I've kept some emails from wayback that I have never deleted.
I came upon the very firstemails I ever sent Woody, along
with some of his replies.
It was fun reading through allof them again.
(05:27):
It reminded me how much of animpact he left on my heart when
we first met.
I sent them soon after he leftto go back home to Georgia.
It was the summer of 2012.
I'll never forget the day hewas leaving.
We spent almost every day andnight together during those
(05:49):
three weeks he was visiting.
He gave me a big hug and hesaid I will see you again.
Do you know the song I Will Seeyou Again by Carrie Underwood?
When that song came out in thespring of 2013, I couldn't help
but feel connected to it.
(06:11):
I instantly remembered Woodyspeaking those words to me the
summer before.
He didn't break his promise.
We saw each other twice, oncein Atlanta, Georgia, that
November, and the other inHartford, Connecticut, by
January of 2013.
By spring of 2013, we weremaking plans to meet in Cozumel,
(06:37):
Mexico.
I'd never been to Mexico and Iwas excited to see Woody there.
It was there where we both saidI love you for the very first
time, and I was ready to show mycommitment by moving down to
Georgia later that early Fall.
(07:00):
My family had a get-togethercookout at my sister Jill's home
this past weekend.
It was great seeing more of myfamily since we came back to New
York, Sean doesn't always get achance to see all of them in
one place, so it was nice thatJill made that happen.
As Memorial Weekend was windingdown, I've been thinking about
(07:22):
the men and women who gave theirlives for our American freedoms
.
It is the ultimate sacrifice.
I have family members who haveserved in the armed forces and I
am forever grateful when theycame back home.
I have a nephew currently whois in the Army.
(07:43):
Raul just came back home from amonth-long training session.
He is stationed at Fort Drum,New York.
We proudly display the Americanflag off of our deck here on the
River.
The other night, Woody starteda small fire in our fire pit
just as the sun was going down.
(08:04):
I finally got to roastmarshmallows with Sean and
enjoyed the yumminess of s'mores, sticky fingers included.
The three of us were relaxing,listening to the waves clap
against the seawall, especiallyafter a motorboat glides by,
(08:25):
hearing the laughter of ourneighbors playing basketball,
the chirping of the birds andinsects, and simply just being
peaceful.
As we were ready to go insidefor a game of Yahtzee, I
couldn't help but notice how theflag looked, with the solar
(08:46):
light beneath it glowing as theevening sky was getting darker.
It has always been there.
Perhaps it's just me feelingsentimental and patriotic, but I
took a photo of it with theembers of the fire still glowing
, with their red sparks in thebackground.
(09:07):
Let's not forget all the fallensoldiers who fought valiantly
for our freedoms.
We will always owe them a debtof gratitude that can never be
paid back.
Never take our freedoms forgranted.
Show your family members,friends, neighbors and the
(09:28):
community you live in, whochoose to serve our country in
any of the armed forces theutmost respect.
Without them, our freedomscould be taken away.
Thank you for listening.
Stay tuned for another specialepisode about the Carleton
(09:52):
Island Villa.
This huge renovation projectthat Ron Clapp has committed to
is still moving forward.
I'm excited to sit down withhim very soon and discuss the
newest updates and the vision hesees for the future of this
once magnificent historicalpiece of history.
(10:13):
I'm going to re-release thethree original episodes from
that special series titledCarleton Island Past And Present
.
The first episode CarletonIsland Past And Present - The
Old Fort, I share theperspective from James H Durham
(10:33):
who wrote the book The Old Fortback in 1889.
It is his take on the historythat happened during the
American Revolution and the Warof 1812.
The second episode is CarletonIsland Past and Present -T he
Wyckoff Villa.
In this episode I share thehistory of the first
(10:54):
architectural masterpiece in theThousand Islands of New York
that was built during the GildedAge.
It is the story of how WilliamOsmond Wyckoff, an immigrant who
came to New York to become asuccessful businessman from very
humble beginnings.
It is a testament to workinghard to achieve the American
(11:17):
dream.
The third episode is CarletonIsland Past And Present -
Renovation Of The Villa.
This was my first sit-downinterview ever that I had with
Ron and Janaina inside the Villa, where the Grand Library once
was.
It was an incredibleopportunity for not just me but
(11:40):
for Woody as well, who camealong with us.
We were able to have a personaltour of this famous piece of
history.
Just walking the grounds wassurreal for us.
You will get a sense ofdetermination, commitment and
passion that Ron and Janainahave with this huge undertaking.
(12:05):
As you can imagine, arenovation project of this
magnitude requires patience,perseverance, compromise and
faith.
Please share any of thesespecial series episodes with
anyone you know who is a historybuff and supports restoring and
(12:28):
renovating landmarks that arevital to preserve our history.
It's not just for the presentgenerations but, even more
importantly, our futuregenerations to come.
(12:48):
The views and opinionsexpressed by Nearest And Dearest
Podcast are those of theauthors and do not necessarily
reflect the official policy orposition of Nearest And Dearest
Podcast.
Any content provided by JulieRogers or any other authors are
of their opinion.
They are not intended to malignany religion, ethnic group,
(13:09):
club, organization, company,individual or anyone or anything
.
Thank you.
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