Greetings, and thanks for stopping by!
Would it surprise you to hear I lead a double, even triple, life? Yes, it’s true. The photos on my home page hint at one of my “faces” — that of author, writer, speaker and radio host. That’s the more polished version of me.
I love being this version of me, but when I’m not doing those things, you’ll find me kicking back — or running crazy — with these peeps:
In the first instance, I’m usually referred to by my given name, Roxane, or sometimes, when I’m doing school visits, Mrs. Salonen. But in my more usual role, I’m Mom, Rox, Rock, occasionally Roxi, and sometimes, when my husband is teasing me, “Rosanne.”
On occasion, people even have taken to singing my name. They’re the special people who are both talented and privy to a certain song written and made popular by the English rock band, The Police. Variations of my name-as-song abound. For instance…
Chipmunk version…The Police version…The Moulin Rouge version…Eddie Murphy version
My father named me after the heroine in the French play, Cyrano de Bergerac. He wanted my first name to match up with our French last name, Beauclair, which means “clear and bright.” And so I became Roxane Marie Beauclair.
I grew up on the Fort Peck Reservation in northeast Montana, where my parents had landed after leaving their home state of North Dakota, then a stint in Wyoming (where I was born in Lovell in 1968), as teachers in search of suitable jobs. They stayed in Poplar, Montana, most of their lives, some 37 years, before returning to the Peace Garden State to ease into retirement.
In the above shot, taken on my fifth birthday in 1973, I’m the one in the pink dress with the big smile on my face. That’s because my mom, a teacher just down the hall, had brought birthday treats for my class. Yipeee!
My only sibling, Camille, lives a dual life, too. A music teacher by day and mother/wife by night, on weekends, she becomes a flutist and singer at church, among other things. A few years back we traveled together to New Orleans, and she couldn’t resist stopping to chat with this street musician. The combination of Jesus and music always proves irresistible to my big sis.
After graduating college from Minnesota State University in Moorhead, Minn., I married a guy with a Finnish name, Troy Salonen, and the whole name match thing got a little messed up. But that’s okay, my new last name has grown on me (I keep the B. since that’s also still part of me and always will be).
Apparently, Salonen is a very common name in Finland, but here in America? It causes a few problems. People usually can’t spell it or say it well on the first try. I help them this way: “If you think of King Solomon from the Bible, but use “n’s” instead of “m’s,” then you’ll come close. Salonen…Sah’-luh-nen. There!
This famous composer also bears this last name.
And speaking of famous composers, I may never know for sure if it’s true, but my great-grandma Roxie Belle Dietrich Byrne claimed that our family is related to this dude:
It all makes a lot of sense. Besides the written word, music is another petal that clings to my center. Every once in a while I sing with our contemporary church group, Metanoia, while Troy sits in the back strumming his guitar. But mostly I cantor for the early Mass with just a pianist to guide me. Singing the word of God is a pretty special thing in my estimation. I’m blessed and happy to do it.
Oh, I can’t forget these furry things! Our brood also includes a couple non-humans. Meet Snickers the dog and Skittles and Spice the cats! (Yes, we all have a sweet tooth in our family.)
It gets a little loud in our household at times. When I can’t hear myself thinking anymore, I sneak away to a quiet place to get my work done. Often, it’s just to the nearest coffee shop. But sometimes, when I have a really intense deadline staring at me, I go here.
It’s a cloistered monastery…
…which means there is a lot of wonderful quiet. It’s so good for the mind, body and soul to have a place of refuge when the world becomes too noisy.
I’ll share more about my life in the other pages of this landing place. But for now, I’ll just say that my life, though not perfect, has been very blessed. Each of the identities I step into adds a beautiful petal to the whole flower. But of all the roles I find myself in, the one that goes to the center of it all is the one that started things off: daughter of God. It is this identity that goes deepest, and has been there the longest, and brings meaning to all the others.
Thanks again for taking a stroll into Peace Garden Passage. I hope you enjoy your stay and decide to come back every now again. You’ll always find new things to ponder on my blog, focusing on family, faith and following the muse. Signing up to receive regular email updates will make it easier to stay in touch. And I love interacting with readers so please add a comment or two when you visit. If I haven’t met you before, tell me a little about yourself!
Peace to you and many happy returns!