Mary Anne Spier-Bruno:
As Mary Anne climbed out of her small Toyota and headed up the steps of her brick tudor house, she knew exactly what she'd see when she got in the front door... "Mommy!" Her youngest daughter, Anna, who was five, leaped into her arms. Behind her stood Mary Anne's other daughter, Catharine, who was eight, grinning. Everyday when Mary Anne returned from a long, hard, day of work, she knew that her girls would be there to greet her. It was a great feeling. Mary Anne was feeling tired, as Tuesday was her busiest day in her psychology practice, so thought of starting dinner was not appealing to her. But as she entered the kitchen, something suprised her...
"Surprise!" Mary Anne's husband Logan greeted her. She looked around. On the table, the places were fully set, and a large stew sat in the middle. A pot of rice was steaming on the stove and...
"Look Mom!" said Catharine opening the refrigerator "I helped with this part!" Four glasses of red Jello containing fruit chunks sat cooling. Mary Anne's eyes began to water. "Oh you guys..." she stammered "You're so wonderful!" Logan put his arm around his wife. "No, YOU'RE wonderful. And you work so hard." For a moment, Mary Anne couldn't believe that she'd almost lost Logan forever. In fact, at one point, she wouldn't have married him for all the money in the world... but the both of them changed after college, and fate brought them back together....
After Mary Anne and Logan's on and off relationship in junior high and high school, they two never really spoke again. The last time Mary Anne had seen Logan was at the senior prom- he was her date (they went as friends). Each went their separate ways- Mary Anne off to major in psychology at Pembrooke University, Logan on a football scholarship to Stoneybrook University. Mary Anne loved Pembrooke. It was a small, quiet school with a beautiful woodsy atmosphere. The people were friendly, but also respectful of Mary Anne's need for space to reflect. The four years flew by faster than Mary Anne realize, and when it came time for her to leave, she felt a little bit lost. But Mary Anne had goals- she wanted to be a family psychologist, and in order to do so she needed to obtain her Masters, then her Ph.D. Mary Anne debated over whether or not to return to Pembrooke for graduate school, but choose not to. Even though she adored it, Mary Anne's grandmother, Verna, was growing older
and sicker. She had moved in with Richard and Sharon so that they could take of her, and Mary Anne wanted to spend time with both Verna and her parents. So she decided to take her master's classes at Stoneybrook U.
On her first day of master's classes, Mary Anne was sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch, when she spotted a familiar face. It was little older, a little more mature, but still very familiar. She knew those blue eyes, that golden hair...
"Mary Anne!" Logan cried out in his southern drawl
Mary Anne smiled. She wasn't exactly EXCITED to see Logan, but a familiar face was sort of nice. It wasn't just that Mary Anne had left with bad feelings about Logan- it was also what she heard. Kristy had attended Stoneybrook University the same time that Logan had, and according to Kristy, Logan grew wild: get drunk every weekend, smoking pot, having casual sex with a different girl every weekend... So Mary Anne wasn't quite sure what to expect when she saw Logan. But she invited him to sit down, and the two of them talked. They kept talking- the days turned into weeks, the weeks in months. Mary Anne realized that despite Logan's low point, he seemed to have changed. While SOME of the rumors Kristy had told were true, others weren't. And Logan seemed to have a different attitude towards life- more serious, less self-centered. He was working to get his finish up his Bachelors in Computer Science. He respected Mary Anne's needs and wishes, and most of all her privacy. He was
willing to do things she never would have dreamed- he saw with Mary Anne and Verna, sometimes talking about nothing...and when Verna died, Logan knew enough to comfort Mary Anne as best he could, and also allow her to grieve privately. Mary Anne fell in love all over again.
Logan and Mary Anne were married two years later, the same summer after Mary Anne finished her master's program. After Mary Anne finished her masters program, she decided to work for a few years, to experience before applying to a doctoral program. So she began working in a practice, where she did counseling under a clinical supervisor. Mary Anne loved it- she counseled families, teens and couples. After almost a year and a half, Mary Anne decided that she was ready to take the next step by becoming a Ph.D. She starting filling out her applications and then it came- the morning sickness, the aches, the fatigue.... The positive pregnancy test. Mary Anne's dream had to be put on hold.
Mary Anne loved her beautiful new daughter- 6 lbs, 10 oz with brown hair and blue eyes. Catharine Leah Bruno. Mary Anne didn't regret having Catharine for a minute. However she still longed to finish her doctorate. When Catharine was two years old Mary Anne decided to try once more- Sharon volunteered to baby-sit while Mary Anne went to class. However another surprise, also a daughter, put the degree on hold once more. But the babies were Mary Anne's life. She was never sad or depressed that she wasn't a clinical psychologist yet- Catharine, and her younger daughter, Anna Michelle, were bright, sweet, loving children. By the time that Anna was two and Catharine was five,
Mary Anne decided it was finally time to return to school. She was excepted to the University of Massachussette's Doctoral Program in Clincal Psychology. She finished in four years, and after she graduated, her old employer took her back in made her a partner in a new practice she was opening. Finally Mary Anne had it all- love of family, and the career she had always dreamed of.
Even on days like today, when Mary Anne was dead tired, there was still the silver lining- her family. Wiping the last tear from her eye, Mary Anne glanced down to see Anna with her wrapped around her legs. "Mommy?" she asked Mary Anne smiled. "Yes?"
"I love you."
She looked at Anna, then Catharine, then Logan. "I love you too" she said, speaking to all three of them.
As Mary Anne climbed out of her small Toyota and headed up the steps of her brick tudor house, she knew exactly what she'd see when she got in the front door... "Mommy!" Her youngest daughter, Anna, who was five, leaped into her arms. Behind her stood Mary Anne's other daughter, Catharine, who was eight, grinning. Everyday when Mary Anne returned from a long, hard, day of work, she knew that her girls would be there to greet her. It was a great feeling. Mary Anne was feeling tired, as Tuesday was her busiest day in her psychology practice, so thought of starting dinner was not appealing to her. But as she entered the kitchen, something suprised her...
"Surprise!" Mary Anne's husband Logan greeted her. She looked around. On the table, the places were fully set, and a large stew sat in the middle. A pot of rice was steaming on the stove and...
"Look Mom!" said Catharine opening the refrigerator "I helped with this part!" Four glasses of red Jello containing fruit chunks sat cooling. Mary Anne's eyes began to water. "Oh you guys..." she stammered "You're so wonderful!" Logan put his arm around his wife. "No, YOU'RE wonderful. And you work so hard." For a moment, Mary Anne couldn't believe that she'd almost lost Logan forever. In fact, at one point, she wouldn't have married him for all the money in the world... but the both of them changed after college, and fate brought them back together....
After Mary Anne and Logan's on and off relationship in junior high and high school, they two never really spoke again. The last time Mary Anne had seen Logan was at the senior prom- he was her date (they went as friends). Each went their separate ways- Mary Anne off to major in psychology at Pembrooke University, Logan on a football scholarship to Stoneybrook University. Mary Anne loved Pembrooke. It was a small, quiet school with a beautiful woodsy atmosphere. The people were friendly, but also respectful of Mary Anne's need for space to reflect. The four years flew by faster than Mary Anne realize, and when it came time for her to leave, she felt a little bit lost. But Mary Anne had goals- she wanted to be a family psychologist, and in order to do so she needed to obtain her Masters, then her Ph.D. Mary Anne debated over whether or not to return to Pembrooke for graduate school, but choose not to. Even though she adored it, Mary Anne's grandmother, Verna, was growing older
and sicker. She had moved in with Richard and Sharon so that they could take of her, and Mary Anne wanted to spend time with both Verna and her parents. So she decided to take her master's classes at Stoneybrook U.
On her first day of master's classes, Mary Anne was sitting in the cafeteria eating lunch, when she spotted a familiar face. It was little older, a little more mature, but still very familiar. She knew those blue eyes, that golden hair...
"Mary Anne!" Logan cried out in his southern drawl
Mary Anne smiled. She wasn't exactly EXCITED to see Logan, but a familiar face was sort of nice. It wasn't just that Mary Anne had left with bad feelings about Logan- it was also what she heard. Kristy had attended Stoneybrook University the same time that Logan had, and according to Kristy, Logan grew wild: get drunk every weekend, smoking pot, having casual sex with a different girl every weekend... So Mary Anne wasn't quite sure what to expect when she saw Logan. But she invited him to sit down, and the two of them talked. They kept talking- the days turned into weeks, the weeks in months. Mary Anne realized that despite Logan's low point, he seemed to have changed. While SOME of the rumors Kristy had told were true, others weren't. And Logan seemed to have a different attitude towards life- more serious, less self-centered. He was working to get his finish up his Bachelors in Computer Science. He respected Mary Anne's needs and wishes, and most of all her privacy. He was
willing to do things she never would have dreamed- he saw with Mary Anne and Verna, sometimes talking about nothing...and when Verna died, Logan knew enough to comfort Mary Anne as best he could, and also allow her to grieve privately. Mary Anne fell in love all over again.
Logan and Mary Anne were married two years later, the same summer after Mary Anne finished her master's program. After Mary Anne finished her masters program, she decided to work for a few years, to experience before applying to a doctoral program. So she began working in a practice, where she did counseling under a clinical supervisor. Mary Anne loved it- she counseled families, teens and couples. After almost a year and a half, Mary Anne decided that she was ready to take the next step by becoming a Ph.D. She starting filling out her applications and then it came- the morning sickness, the aches, the fatigue.... The positive pregnancy test. Mary Anne's dream had to be put on hold.
Mary Anne loved her beautiful new daughter- 6 lbs, 10 oz with brown hair and blue eyes. Catharine Leah Bruno. Mary Anne didn't regret having Catharine for a minute. However she still longed to finish her doctorate. When Catharine was two years old Mary Anne decided to try once more- Sharon volunteered to baby-sit while Mary Anne went to class. However another surprise, also a daughter, put the degree on hold once more. But the babies were Mary Anne's life. She was never sad or depressed that she wasn't a clinical psychologist yet- Catharine, and her younger daughter, Anna Michelle, were bright, sweet, loving children. By the time that Anna was two and Catharine was five,
Mary Anne decided it was finally time to return to school. She was excepted to the University of Massachussette's Doctoral Program in Clincal Psychology. She finished in four years, and after she graduated, her old employer took her back in made her a partner in a new practice she was opening. Finally Mary Anne had it all- love of family, and the career she had always dreamed of.
Even on days like today, when Mary Anne was dead tired, there was still the silver lining- her family. Wiping the last tear from her eye, Mary Anne glanced down to see Anna with her wrapped around her legs. "Mommy?" she asked Mary Anne smiled. "Yes?"
"I love you."
She looked at Anna, then Catharine, then Logan. "I love you too" she said, speaking to all three of them.