See You Again

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 )

Transcript

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Life, Reflections, and Gratitude

Julie Rogers 0:06

No one ever said life is easy , but I believe by giving yourself permission , you will find you have more control over your life than you realize . I'm Julie . I hope you will join me by taking responsibility for yourself , by only controlling the things you can and letting go of the things that you can't . By doing this , you will have discovered the secret to having happy , healthy and more fulfilling relationships . This is Nearest And Dearest Podcast . I'm Julie Rogers and you are listening to Season 3 , episode 5 , See You Again .

Julie Rogers 0:47

I am back home at my all-time favorite place in the world , the mighty St Lawrence River in Northern New York . I have been enjoying getting reacquainted with the blue water , blue skies , fluffy white clouds that are so big that you feel you can reach out and touch them , green grass , the trees that have bloomed with their various shades and the springtime flowers that welcomed Woody and I back home . I love watching the hens with their ducklings on their backs floating around the river , their mother protecting them until they quickly zoom off their little webbed feet moving so fast , practicing their swimming while looking for something to eat . Canadian geese , blue herons and seagulls are part of our everyday viewing pleasures . Aside from the poo messes the birds make . I enjoy watching nature in their habitat . Hearing the robins singing early in the morning helps me start my day in a cheery way . Even listening to the crickets and frogs at night , with a fresh breeze blowing in from our windows , allows me to doze off more peacefully . It usually takes Woody and I a couple of weeks to get our home in order . I just planted some annual flowers to brighten up our decks . Woody pulls the boat out of the barn and gets it ready for the summer . Sean came for a visit this past Memorial weekend . He is the first to come to the river this year . He visits with friends he has from back in his high school days while he's here , it's great seeing him reconnect . Okay , here we go .

Julie Rogers 2:38

My 40th high school reunion is this summer . That's a big number , to say out loud . I didn't graduate with those kids I went to school with in New York in 1984 because my mom moved me and my younger sister back in the summer of 1983 to Connecticut , which was my senior year that fall . I haven't seen my classmates and 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 school years since elementary . She said it was no problem for me to go because I wasn't sure if it was appropriate since I really didn't graduate with everybody , but it will be so much fun seeing familiar faces and chatting about our memories . I've already looked up 1984's yearbook from the archives through the local library online and I also just realized a connection .

Julie Rogers 3:52

My oldest grandson , Henry , graduates high school this year . We are driving down to Connecticut in less than two weeks to see his big accomplishment . And here's the thing, what a coincidence that it was 40 years ago when I graduated high school . How crazy is that ? ! Part of coming back home to New 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 since JoJo passed this month and it will be two years since Jolene passed this coming September . They both are gone way too soon . I miss them every day . I keep their spirit alive through photos , conversations of past family get-togethers, seeing their family and feeling blessed to have had them in my life . I know I'll see them again , even hearing certain songs that pop out of nowhere instantly connects me . So I was looking for an old email address

Julie Rogers 5:07

the other day . I was in the sent section in my Yahoo mail account . I've kept some emails from way back that I have never deleted . I came upon the very first emails I ever sent Woody , along with some of his replies . It was fun reading through all of them again . It reminded me how much of an impact he left on my heart when we first met . I sent them soon after he left to go back home to Georgia .

Julie Rogers 5:38

It was the summer of 2012 . I'll never forget the day he was leaving . We spent almost every day and night together during those three weeks he was visiting . He gave me a big hug and he said I will see you again . Do you know the song I Will See you Again by Carrie Underwood ? When that song came out in the spring of 2013 , I couldn't help but feel connected to it . I instantly remembered Woody speaking those words to me the summer before . He didn't break his promise . We saw each other twice , once in Atlanta , Georgia , that November , and the other in Hartford , Connecticut , by January of 2013 . By spring of 2013 , we were making plans to meet in Cozumel , Mexico . I'd never been to Mexico and I was excited to see Woody there . It was there where we both said I love you for the very first time , and I was ready to show my commitment by moving down to Georgia later that early Fall .

Julie Rogers 7:00

My family had a get-together cookout at my sister Jill's home this past weekend . It was great seeing more of my family since we came back to New York , Sean doesn't always get a chance to see all of them in one place , so it was nice that Jill made that happen . As Memorial Weekend was winding down , I've been thinking about the men and women who gave their lives for our American freedoms . It is the ultimate sacrifice . I have family members who have served in the armed forces and I am forever grateful when they came back home . I have a nephew currently who is in the Army . Raul just came back home from a month-long training session . He is stationed at Fort Drum , New York .

Julie Rogers 7:54

We proudly display the American flag off of our deck here on the River . The other night , Woody started a small fire in our fire pit just as the sun was going down . I finally got to roast marshmallows 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 , especially after a motorboat glides by , hearing the laughter of our neighbors playing basketball , the chirping of the birds and insects , and simply just being peaceful . As we were ready to go inside for a game of Yahtzee , I couldn't help but notice how the flag looked , with the solar light beneath it glowing as the evening sky was getting darker . It has always been there . Perhaps it's just me feeling sentimental and patriotic , but I took a photo of it with the embers of the fire still glowing , with their red sparks in the background .

Julie Rogers 9:07

Let's not forget all the fallen soldiers who fought valiantly for our freedoms . We will always owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be paid back . Never take our freedoms for granted . Show your family members , friends , neighbors and the community you live in, who choose to serve our country in any of the armed forces the utmost respect . Without them , our freedoms could be taken away . Thank you for listening . Stay tuned for another special episode about the Carleton Island Villa . This huge renovation project that Ron Clapp has committed to is still moving forward . I'm excited to sit down with him very soon and discuss the newest updates and the vision he sees for the future of this once magnificent historical piece of history .

Re-Releasing Carleton Island Past & Present Episodes

Julie Rogers 10:13

I'm going to re-release the three original episodes from that special series titled Carleton Island Past And Present . The first episode Carleton Island Past And Present - The Old Fort, I share the perspective from James H Durham who wrote the book The Old Fort back in 1889 . It is his take on the history that happened during the American Revolution and the War of 1812 . The second episode is Carleton Island Past and Present -T he Wyckoff Villa . In this episode I share the history of the first architectural masterpiece in the Thousand Islands of New York that was built during the Gilded Age . It is the story of how William Osmond Wyckoff , an immigrant who came to New York to become a successful businessman from very humble beginnings . It is a testament to working hard to achieve the American dream .

Julie Rogers 11:20

The third episode is Carleton Island Past And Present - Renovation Of The Villa . This was my first sit-down interview ever that I had with Ron and Janaina inside the Villa , where the Grand Library once was . It was an incredible opportunity for not just me but for Woody as well , who came along with us . We were able to have a personal tour of this famous piece of history . Just walking the grounds was surreal for us . You will get a sense of determination , commitment and passion that Ron and Janaina have with this huge undertaking . As you can imagine , a renovation project of this magnitude requires patience , perseverance , compromise and faith .

Julie Rogers 12:18

Please share any of these special series episodes with anyone you know who is a history buff and supports restoring and renovating landmarks that are vital to preserve our history . It's not just for the present generations but , even more importantly , our future generations to come . The views and opinions expressed by Nearest And Dearest Podcast are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nearest And Dearest Podcast . Any content provided by Julie Rogers or any other authors are of their opinion . They are not intended to malign any religion , ethnic group , club , organization , company , individual or anyone or anything . Thank you .