Dear Current family -

Some exciting news to share! I am really happy to welcome our friend Mary Lucia back to The Current airwaves! She'll be back next week, so be sure to tune in on Monday, Nov. 9, at 2 p.m. You'll be able hear her Monday to Thursday, 2 to 6 p.m.

Also, a big high-five to everyone on Team Current  especially Bill DeVille and Mac Wilson  who jumped in to help fill in on the air while she was away.

Mary, from all of us at The Current and MPR, we missed you and are so happy to have you back!

Here's a note from Mary in her own words.

Jim McGuinn

Program Director, 89.3 The Current

**

Current Shoppers,

As many of you know, I took a leave from work in April to deal with an ongoing stalker that has turned my world upside down for nearly two years.

After multiple trial postponements and legal curve balls of which I have no control, I'm a little heartbroken to say this has gotten far more complicated than I could've imagined. Thus, it is still ongoing. Because of that, I can't really talk about the case. Man, silence is not always golden nor empowering.

I can say that I don't think I've worked harder in my life than in these last six months.

I've never been a "Why me?" person. In fact, if anything, I'm a "Why NOT me?" type. What makes me so damn special that horrid things shouldn't happen to me? Believe me, I've never lost perspective that someone always has it worse than me. How you deal with this trauma is what is important. Character building and all that crap.

I've realized I'm strong, but I'm not that strong. I've needed help and still do in order to be the person I know I am capable of being.

I've been on a never-ending quest for inspiration. In my time away, I've consumed books like air as that is as close to meditation as I can get. I will always be interested in other people's stories. All nonfiction. Biographies of people who are creative and somewhere along the line got the stuffing knocked out of them, maybe fell from grace but found a way to creatively reinvent themselves. Throw in an insane upbringing and inevitable chemical-dependency problems and you've got me hooked!

I won't lie, I've been knocked around quite a bit and been forced to accept things I still find unacceptable. I've felt lost and powerless. But I've tried to keep a sense of curiosity about my life. Believe me, gallows humor doesn't hurt either. I've always said the day I stop finding humor in the darkness is the day I cash it in.

After much careful thought, even though this whole drama is far from being over, I'm returning to work and genuinely feel excited to reconnect with my buddies at The Current, and of course with you my friends, the listeners.

As Bob Plant said, "Been a long time since I rock and rolled."

Thanks as always for your kindness and thoughtfulness.

Your friend and mine,

looch