The approximate 6,000 ships that have succumbed to raging storms attest to the power of the Great Lakes. As I traveled, writing and compiling information for my three-volume travel series that explores Michigan's coasts, I heard or read the tales left behind by those ill-fated ships. They add a somber, but compelling backdrop to Michigan’s waterways. The following story deviates from the shipwreck theme. In addition to the thousands of ships that surrendered to the waters of Lake Michigan, there is also one major aircraft that vanished into her angry waters.

Change. It is a constant; at times welcome, at times resisted, at times unnoticed until much later.

Wherever you find yourself in the world at this moment, you know the effects of change, in politics, in personal life, in climate and nature, and in many other spheres.

Music to offer you varied perspectives as you live through and think about change:

With over 5 million residents, and with 1.6 million people under the age of 25, reproductive rights in New Zealand are a crucial aspect of the wider healthcare system.

This summer, my husband and I undertook a move. A relocation from Massachusetts to Arizona has been undertaken by others, no doubt. We decided to make things a little more interesting than a direct route. We headed north. Our circuitous route is winding us through Newfoundland, Portugal, and North Carolina. When one would think to take the southerly route from the Carolina’s to Arizona in the winter months, we will make Bugs Bunny’s famous right turn at Albuquerque to get to Bozeman, Montana. Then, we’ll drive to Arizona.

Refugee is a word that is defined by the 1951 Refugee Convention as “someone who is unable and unwilling to return to their country of origin to avail herself of the protection of her country of nationality owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”