Looking Back

The dawn of a new decade is upon us which I believe provides a great opportunity to look back on the last ten years. The past decade has been one to remember — on a personal level and beyond. I hope you don’t mind if I share some of my favorite memories!

First and foremost, I’ve been blessed with five more grandchildren – Hattie, Finn, Beau, Sage and Lotus – over the last decade. They joined Stella and Liam, making me a grandmother to seven, all of whom are the lights of my life!

In 2010, I had the wonderful opportunity to become a producer on the Broadway musical ‘Promises, Promises, and as of this year have produced 13 shows including the 2016 Tony-award winner for Best Musical Revival, The Color Purple!

The world watched not one, but two, royal weddings. We watched the pomp and circumstance in 2011 when Prince William married the lovely Kate Middleton. And, just last year, we were all excited to watch as the American actress Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in another beautiful ceremony.

On the subject of great causes, in 2014, the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’ was started to promote awareness and encourage donations to ALS research. The videos went viral on social media and ended up putting a spotlight on the little-known disease and raising $115 million (in just 8 weeks!) for research to combat the disease.

In 2012, I was honored to join the Board of Directors of American Humane and I’m so proud to champion the work that they do to ensure the safety, welfare and well-being of animals.

Speaking of animals, I lost my beloved Madison in 2018, but just this year I added a new furry member to my family. Many of you may have seen JJ, my adorable bichon frise, on my social media posts. She brings me so much joy with her spark of energy and funny antics every day.

It was with a heavy heart that I sold our cherished home, The Manor, after living there for almost 20 years. It was hard to let go because It was filled with great memories but once I got settled in my new home, I was excited to start making new memories there.

One of the most amazing sights in the last decade was the total social eclipse that we were able to see in the US in 2017. In fact, it was the first one in almost 100 years and you could feel the excitement for weeks leading up to the event.

And finally, in May, the YouTuber “Mr. Beast” started a viral campaign #TeamTrees to raise $20 million to plant trees in partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation’s reforestation program. The current total is $17 million and at $1 per tree, they are on track to reach their goal of $20 million by January 1, 2020!

I’ve had fun thinking about milestones over the past decade and hope that you might be inspired to take a look back and do the same! Happy holidays!