Angels & Skunks: Highlights From the Life of Michele Roby Eastman

Michele, born 2-2-1970, grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana with her sister and two brothers. Though born last she quickly maneuvered her way to a position of power at the head of the family. It was NOT a hostile takeover. In 1990 she married Brian Eastman and they eventually settled into their newly built dream home near Churubusco, Indiana. Brian designed and built homes while Michele ran a daycare center and worked as a teacher's aide for the school system. They became parents to Emmily Anne and Sammuel Barnett. Michele, born with one 'l' to her name wanted her children to have more than she and thus they were adorned each with an additional 'm' to their names. This metaphor held true her entire life as she always focused on what she could give to others. Her family, friends and the many children she cared for were recipients of the huge legacy of love that emanated from her spirit.

This book, Angels & Skunks, is a remembrance of childhood stories, growing up in middle America in the 70s and 80s, along with being a celebration of her achievements as a mother and contributor to the education system. Though her life ended tragically, I fully believe that she lived every moment to the best of her ability and treasured every second of earthy time that she was able to spend with her family and friends--especially her children who became the primary focus of her short life. In her last hours her biggest dread was having to leave them and not enjoy the development of their lives. But she gave us the biggest gift possible and I feel confident that her spirit is in close proximity to the daily lives of her children.

The significance of angels relates to Michele's love of the religious symbol, her similarity to the cherubic persona, along with her comments to me in the final hours of her life where she experienced the presence of angels, primarily a little boy angel who kept trying to gently tug her over the mortal threshold. As far as the image of the skunk is concerned, she had a propensity of crossing paths with the smelly creatures who populated the woods behind their house. The age-old question 'why did the skunk cross the road' was answered with 'because Michele was behind the wheel' or 'because Michele let the dog out of the house' or...well, there were probably several reasons we may never know about. The skunk became a metaphor for her encounters with uncomfortable, "bad" situations that are thrown into our path but with which she dealt without complaint--from something as small as a bump in the road to something as monumental as cancer. She learned to accept fate, take a deep breath, be grateful for the opportunity to learn and move on. While our first impression of a death sentence from cancer might be the ultimate skunk from which we never recover, I think she would tell you that all the skunks on Earth are just part of the path that leads to an eternal spiritual existence in a realm much higher than we know on this planet. In other words, 'don't sweat the small stuff; it's ALL small stuff.'