Born at the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I was raised on a farm with a younger sister by our widowed mother who had a limited education, I vowed to get an education beyond high school to provide for myself, thus I became a teacher.  I never really gave thought to returning to rural life but that is exactly what I did with teaching several years in a couple of rural communities with a year in a city school between those two rural experiences.

In my marriage I was blessed to be able to have support to continue my career desires as I became a wife and mother, to work part time off the farm as I desired.  To maintain my identity was of importance as I wanted more than being a farm wife, I desired to be a farm woman who contributed to our chosen lifestyle being actively involved in the daily operations and marketing with the farming and the raising of livestock which meant learning new skills while also maintaining those with which I was trained as an educator and not forgetting my interests.

During those years there were interests that I placed on the ‘backburner’ with my priorities being the farm, a wife and a mother.  We were rich not from our endeavors as stewards of the land but with friendships with those in our lives.  When my lifestyle changed with becoming a widow I feel blessed to have been able to stay on the land which my late husband’s grandparents homesteaded and with the land being designated a Centennial Farm in Colorado in 2014.  During these same years I have picked up those shelved interests of music, quilting, reading of more than the newspapers and occasionally a book to passionate reading and promoting good reads,  becoming more involved in my church,  and embarking on a writing career, all as a cancer survivor.

These interests keep me active and in touch with family and friends, and also serving as a volunteer in support of groups and projects.

Dr J’s Comments

A great example of writing one’s life story in less than 400 words without mentioning family or achievements. To write only about oneself is a challenge worth trying. It gets to the core of who we are. Good job!