When I was earning my degree in jour­nalism from Wayne State University, I thought about starting my own Chal­dean newspaper. In 2002, that began to come to fruition. I was researching and talking to com­munity members and at the same time, a group of young Chaldean men were looking to purchase an existing news magazine covering the Middle Eastern community. The late Rosemary Antone suggested we meet with each other, since her son was among the group; she thought we should col­laborate on the paper and so we did. In Febru­ary in 2004, we launched the Chaldean News. For the past several years, Mike Sarafa, Martin Manna and I have been owners and publishers of this community magazine.

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When I was younger, I attended camp maybe a couple of times in my child­hood. I did one overnight and one day camp when I was about 12-years-old. I had six sis­ters and a neighborhood filled with kids. My par­ents didn’t need to figure out how to keep us enter­tained while off from school – we had each other.

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I had a very proud mama moment this past May. I watched my daugh­ter perform in the school play. It was her 4th St. Fa­bian School production, her 6th or 7th play in her life but her first time garner­ing a main role. She played Violet in Willy Wonka, Jr. which is an Off-Broadway production.

St. Fabian Catholic School in Farmington Hills has a dedicated Theater Department and along with stellar academics, re­alizes the importance of the arts. It is a STREAM school – Science, Tech­nology, Religion, Arts and Math.

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The old adage is once you turn 40, every­thing goes down­hill, health wise. I thought that was something “old people” used to say un­til I hit 40. I can tell you I don’t have the energy I used to or the strength. The extra pounds I carry, no doubt, weigh me down. Yes, I have a mirror and a scale, thank you very much. I don’t need others to point out the obvious. However, my aging has played a factor in my overall health.

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One of my first on-air reports for WJR was on Easter Sunday morning.  I went to mass at Shrine of the Little Flower. I had already attended mass the night before to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ but this Sunday morning was to report on the “Holiest Day of the Year for Christians everywhere.” And that was a line I recited in my report. “Wearing their Sunday bests…” I said, “Catholics are attending Mass here at Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak.”

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”— 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

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When Ron and I were planning our wed­ding, part of it included attending mar­riage classes we had to take at Mother of God church and two weeks of Natural Family Planning classes that then Fr. Frank required of couples getting married at St. Thomas Church. After writing this month’s story on the revised mar­riage preparation classes, I wish we had the oppor­tunity to participate in the marriage program today – the one ECRC and the Chaldean Diocese have created. I envy the newly engaged couples. They are most likely going into their marriage more en­lightened than we were nearly 15 years ago.

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I didn’t realize a law could pass and still be con­fusing even to law enforcement until I read the recreational marijuana ballot proposal. My head was spinning just writing this month’s cover story. It’s legal yet, ambiguous; no one is certain exactly how to interpret or enforce it. At least that is what I discovered in my inter­views. It is scary because you are dealing with a substance that can alter brain development and cognitive function.

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We are near the end of our 15th year as a monthly magazine. I sometimes can’t believe it myself. At the start, I never really thought about the paper’s longevity. We have gone through challenges and triumphs in the world and inside our own business. During that time, my life has changed so much over the years.

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In this issue, we are cov­ering the political races. We don’t endorse candi­dates. We are merely shar­ing the bigger races and the candidates in each. As I make the decision as to whom to vote for, I use my God guide and moral com­pass as I look to the teach­ings of the church.

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When I was about 7-years-old, we lived in California. There wasn’t a large Chaldean population at that time and we didn’t have relatives living nearby. I remember my mom taking to me to a funeral home for a baby who had died. I never walked into the actual room with the family or casket. I stayed out in the hallway with a lady watching me. My mom had no choice. She wanted to pay her respects and didn’t have a sitter for me.

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