Growing Bolder Community

February 9

United States Of America

Jackson, Michigan

I was born and raised in the Jackson, Michigan area as the oldest daughter of two girls.  I attended and graduated from Jackson High School.  I have been married, the longest marital relationship was for 13 years.  The shortest and the most recent was for only 18 months.  I am still on speaking terms with my ex-husbands.  No children were born from any of the unions.  Life is too short to be resentful.  Bitterness and hard-heartedness only makes one miserable and unhappy.  I am of the understanding presently that it definitely takes time to get to know someone and learn who they really are, including oneself.   Life is definitely lived forward and understood backwards! 

As I stated above, I graduated from Jackson High School.  Immediately upon graduation from high school, I began working as a secretary/typist for the Jackson County Adult Probation Office.   The name was eventually changed to Circuit Court Probation in the 1980's when state government assumed all functions of this office.

In 1972, I started employment with the State of Michigan, Department of Corrections; working at the State Prison of Southern Michigan as a clerical/typist-clerk.  This was the beginning of my State of Michigan, Department of Corrections career of 32+ years.  I was employed as a State Secretary for various prisons in Jackson, as well as having worked in Grayling, Michigan for the Crawford County Parole & Probation Office as the Secretary of that office, and also for Camp Lehman, which is now known as Lehman Correctional Facility. 

I took advantage of an "early out" retirement proposal in November 2002 with 32+ years of service.  This tenure was an experience that opened my eyes to things that I didn't really know about and taught me the value of people, recidivism, and rehabilitation. 

I recently worked for a law office and I really enjoyed that job.  It was a part-time position.   I was laid off from that job due to budgetary cutbacks.   I am currently in the process of securing another part-time job in the clerical/secretarial field and I know the right one will manifest itself when the time is right.  I am putting one foot in front of the other, doing what I need to do, and leaving the rest to God.  Not always easy, however, it is the true way to succeed in life. 

I have decided that I am going to go back to college and get certified as a Medical Biller/Coder this coming Fall 2008.  I don't feel that I am "too old" to go back to college.  I have a wonderful and dear lady friend, who is a few years older than myself, who graduated from college last year with a BA Degree in Family Life Education.  No one is ever too old to learn! 

Both males and females, for both face-to-face and online networking.  I miss being with that special someone, although I know that one can be lonely even when with someone or within a crowd.   I am, once again, learning to like and love the person who I am, and letting go and letting God change my heart to gratitude.  Living one day at a time and enjoying one moment at a time ... while accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.  We need to trust that He (God) will make everything all right, if we surrender to His will also.  This life here on earth will then be reasonably happy and we will ultimately be supremely happy with Him when our time on earth is done.  If by chance, I  find a few good friends who believe in living and behaving as God would have us be, then my life will be one filled with compassion and true happiness.