In all journeys, we come to crossroads. For me, weeklong vacations with my family – something my parents, sisters and our families have managed to accomplish twice in five years – are rare gifts, a glimpse into how life might have been if we’d all lived a century earlier.

For one week, we are all neighbors. Sprawled across four states, we come together to celebrate summertime in brief community. My toddler skips and runs with his cousins. His grandmother reads him bedtime stories. Aunts and uncles he rarely sees are suddenly in his everyday life. We cook together, work together and raise our children together. I love it.

I’ve just returned to Duluth after our week at a resort in Spooner. We’ve definitely bolstered the local economy with all those grocery runs. I saw my first rodeo. And all that boating, fishing, swimming and kayaking was physically and mentally recharging – just what we need as we prepare to put our house on the market and move into the next phase in the life of our family.

I’ve enjoyed our nearly four years in Duluth – my husband and I have grown together in our marriage, and our son’s birth in 2015 added immeasurable blessings. The renovation/restoration of our beautiful, historic home has equipped us with vastly more knowledge of home improvement. I can plaster, sand, stain and paint.

But, we’re ready to go. Four states will shrink to three when my family moves back to Eau Claire this summer. I’ll be staying on part-time as the Superior Catholic Herald’s editor/reporter, and we’ve added Jenny Snarski – a wonderfully warm, bright, and deeply Catholic woman – as our part-time reporter.

Since January, our newspaper has been in transition. Changes to the Apostolate – the organization that governs diocesan papers in Madison, Milwaukee and Superior – have led to changes in the Superior Catholic Herald. Among our recent goals are keeping our content about 75 percent local, blogging regularly, building a list of freelancing writers and photographers from around the diocese, sampling new columnists and (sometime in the future) introducing an e-edition.

Subscribers will automatically have access to the online version of the paper, but if you are interested in only receiving the e-edition, let us know.

We are grateful for your submissions, as always, and we look forward to being the voice of Catholicism for the Diocese of Superior. Blessings to you and your family as you savor the last month of summer!

Anita may be contacted at .