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I am the fifth child born out of eight children.  My parents moved to Illinois from the south just months before I was born.  I grew up and married at 19 years of age to my high school sweetheart who had just gone into the Navy three months prior to our marriage and we are still married after 35 years.  We have two daughters, one is 25 who just married a young man who attended the same college where she attended and one daughter who is 26 years old who is working and trying to complete a medical technology program.  When I look back over the years past, God has blessed me in ways beyond measure.  During my husband's first year in the Navy, I joined him in Japan where we lived for two years and I enjoyed it so much that I could have stayed if given the opportunity to do so.  I left to join my husband six months after we were married and I believe that out of all of the trips that I have taken over the years, that's a trip that I will never forget.  One of the things that happened once I arrived there was after I got off of the plane and got my luggage, I did not see my husband anywhere around.  I was just sort of looking around trying to see where he could be, but he was no where or at least I thought that he was not there.  I remember going over to a telephone but I did not have yen to put into the phone nor did I know how to make a phone call in Japan.   Anyway, from the upper level of the building, my husband and some of his Navy buddies were watching me.  Then, all of them came to the lower level to meet me. 

After moving back to the United States, I received a secretarial certificate while my husband completed his last year in the Navy.  By the time that he was done, I was working.  I have always worked during my entire adult life even while completing two other degree programs as well as after giving birth to both of my daughters where I only took six weeks off with each of them and went back to work.  Luckily, I was blessed with people who cared for them as I did when they were babies during that time that I lived outside of Chicago without any relatives around.  The only other place where I have lived other than Japan, is California where both of my daughters were born.  Sometimes I wish that I had stayed there instead of moving back to the suburbs of Chicago.  For anyone who knows about Chicago, the weather can be brutal especially this past winter with the extremely icy roads and large accumulations of snow.  Whenever I left the house this past winter, I just ask God to cover me and keep me from harm.  God has brought me through some very difficult times and I know that he will bring me through these difficult times as well while trying to seek a new opportunity and to be part of the work force again because I believe that when you ask God for something, you have to believe that you are going to receive it and he will make a way for you to have the desires of your heart.

On this day, by Gods mercy and favor, I am still in my right mind, do not take any medications, I try to walk daily, I attend church often, I talk to my father who is 88 years old often, I try to have an encouraging word for anyone who is feel distressed over a situation, I talk to my daughters often as well as my sisters and brothers.  For the past few months, most of my time has been spent on the computer looking for an opportunity to be employed again and that's why I registered with AARP because I was looking for an opportunity to get connected again.   I hope that each and every person who have read this message will be touched by God and many blessings come to you.