About Me

I wear a lot of hats. First and foremost, I am a Jesus-follower. I have been meandering along on my own crooked path behind my Savior since I was a teenager, though God had been quietly calling me a lot earlier. If you were to trace both Jesus’ and my footprints in the sand over the course of this journey….well, suffice it to say that my Savior walks a straight path, while I often feel like I’m stumbling along behind Him in the dark like a drunken sailor. This is why I cling to the scriptures that tell me that He makes the crooked places straight (Isaiah 40:4), He orders my steps (Psalm 37:23), He establishes my steps (Psalm 40:2), He directs my steps (Proverbs 16:9), and so many more. Thank God for His direction and guidance in my life…for straight paths to follow.

I am a family girl. Hands down, my family is the most important thing to me on this earth. My husband of 36 years (whom I started “dating” when I was in 8th grade), my four children and their spouses, my seven grandchildren- these are the people with whom I spend my days. Willingly and joyfully. They help me to make sense of the madness that is this world we live in. And best of all, they are all building their lives and their homes on the sure foundation that is the Lord, Christ Jesus.

I am a teacher. I am currently finishing my 23rd year teaching high school English at a local public school. I love words and books and reading…so teaching is a natural extension of who I am…but I originally went to school to be a nurse. I had a passion to help children, specifically in the area of pediatric oncology, but God led me in a different direction. The past 20+ years- time that has seemed to both fly by and come to a complete standstill occasionally, has been filled with opportunities to show and share the love of Jesus to a generation of kids who do not know Him. Many of those same kids have never even heard of Him, other than as an addition to their extensive vocabulary of profanity. Yes, teaching teenagers in a public school is tough. Being a Christian teacher in a public school is also tough. Yet, I can honestly say that I have been extremely blessed to teach where I do. God has faithfully been opening and closing doors since I opened the door to my own classroom that very first time all those years ago. And I am confident He will continue to do so.

A couple fun facts about me:

• I live in a log cabin at the end of a dirt road. My house is my sanctuary.
• I have a life-long love/hate relationship with working out.
• I love making soup on snow days.
• I have an unhealthy competitive streak.
• I adopted my 4th child from Russia.
• I love Christmas.
• I suffer from occasional depression.
• I love traveling and hiking around my world.
• I love my children; I adore my grandkids.
• I am guilty of acquiring a Covid dog. Her name is Daisy, and I love her. More than I knew I could.
  

So that’s me in a nutshell. Flawed and imperfect, but striving to follow my Savior in an increasingly dark world. Striving to hear His voice. Striving to be obedient. Let me end this monologue by saying, along with Paul, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His Grace toward me was not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)