I married my high school boyfriend in November of 1965, just a few months after we graduated high school. He and I both thought we would have a baby together the following year. But by the time he got drafted into the Army in the summer of 1966 I had not become pregnant. At that time I had a woman friend, Barbara Petzing, who became a good friend and mentor, and taught me so much about mental health and psychology, Chicago politics, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and much more. I first met Barbara through a friend of hers, a Catholic Priest at St. Joseph's Church in Bradley, Illinois, where I was taking catechism lessons. About my inability to get pregnant, Barbara suggested I find a photo or drawing of a baby just like the one I wanted to give birth to and put that photo in a prominent place, like on the refrigerator door, look at it often, thinking or even saying out loud "this is the baby I want to give birth to and to love". There was a name for that concept, similar to "The Power of Positive Thinking" but not quite that..."Visualization" is part of it. Barbara, as the President of Illinois Church Women United, also believed in prayer and incorporated that into her teaching me how to bring something I really wanted into my life, make it real.
Patrick John was born in June of 1968, fifteen months after I joined my then-husband where he was stationed, in Bamberg, Germany. Patrick was a much wanted and always loved healthy baby boy. I've saved that Gerber Baby image all these years because it was the face I saw in my mind for so long before Patrick was born. I think he looks very much like that Gerber Baby. The actual baby photo I included of Patrick was his passport photo, taken when he was just a month old. And the adult photo was taken in June of 2026. Pat is a wonderful person and RD and I are proud of the man he has become, the husband and father he is, and the life he has made for himself and those he loves. Happy Birthday, Pat! We love you. Mom and Dad
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