I hope that in sharing my thoughts and feelings growing up and through life as a young adult, spouse, parent, business owner, nurse, caregiver, grandparent, and sister or brother in Christ that you may find feelings which resonate in your world. I was born and raised in Merced, CA, but after attending UC Berkeley, earning my RN degree through St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing, San Francisco, a BS in Nursing and Public Health Nursing degree from UCSF and an MS in Health Education from Fresno State College (later CSU Fresno), I have spent my entire adult life in the rural, farming community of Ballico, CA, where we were almond farmers and had a family business. In addition to raising our family and being active community leaders, I enjoyed teaching and counseling at Merced Community College, working full time in our family business for over fifty years, and, in later years, serving briefly as a School Nurse. It has been a truly blessed life. We each have a unique story but share so many of life's challenges. My prayer for each of you is that you have weathered the storms with dignity and that your faith has grown with each blessing and trial. May God continue to lead you through the years.