I started out as a child…

Born in Ohio, the oldest of three children, I spent my childhood adapting.  You see, my dad changed jobs frequently and I moved over 20 times between birth and 18.  Most school years I attended two different schools, and in 4th grade it was 4 different schools. Rarely was the new school at the same place in the curriculum as the previous one, but I was still able to keep up with the changes and always be an excellent student.  I learned to make friends fast, and I can pack a box faster than just about anyone.

Out on my own…

I met my first husband at church camp when I was just 13.  We dated through high school (despite my family continuing to move around) and married as soon as I graduated at 18.  As you might imagine, I swore that when I got out on my own I was never moving again!  We lived in Springfield, Ohio for three years while Scot finished college, them moved to Cleveland, Ohio where he went to medical school, graduate school, and did his residency. We lived there for 11 years. I worked at Case Western Reserve University in administrative assistant roles, first in the nursing school and then in the undergraduate alumni office.

And then there were three…

In 1983 I gave birth to the most precious and perfect little boy, David (he’s now 27 and still precious and perfect). I thought having a child was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced, and I have enjoyed every minute of being a mom.  When David was about a year old, Scot was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. For awhile, we didn’t know what was going on.  He would have crushing depression, followed by manic episodes where he hardly slept, was basically out of control, and spent money like there was no tomorrow. He finally got on medication, but he didn’t like the way it made him feel.  It’s a very difficult thing to be experiencing someone’s behavior that is being affected by an imbalance in their brain chemicals and refrain from taking it personally.

To Texas ya’ll…

We very nearly divorced before our move to Texas in 1990 because Scot’s illness was still not well managed by the medication. I got a job at Baylor College of Medicine and did administrative work for a doctor there for 9 years, eventually managing a medical practice of 6 doctors and 45 staff. Scot worked on the faculty of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, while David grew and thrived and found his love of music. Since I had gone to work right after high school to support Scot through his schooling, I did not have a college degree. I decided I wanted one, so I quit work in 1999 and started college full time.

The night the lights went out…

So I’m in my first year of college, and David’s in his senior year of high school, and the night of October 19, 2000, Scot did not come home. The police found his body the next day in a hotel 8 miles from our house. It turns out he had been under huge pressure at work, and had quit taking his medication (which I didn’t know)  in order to be completely sharp for an exam that he had been studying for for a year. After the test he went into a deep depression that ended in suicide.

Life goes on…

The adaptability I learned growing up kicked in big time.  Fortunately, Scot had an excellent life insurance policy that enabled us to keep our house and allowed me to complete my degree and put David through his undergraduate and master’s program.  I married Steve in 2004 and we started our own business, Customer Keepers, in early 2005. This was a greeting card business where we created and printed greeting cards for real estate agents (mostly) to stay in touch with their clients. We got very involved in local networking groups, and I held several leadership positions in chambers of commerce and BNI.  After a year and a half we joined Send Out Cards, an internet-based greeting card and gift company, as distributors and stopped printing our own cards.  I started speaking to groups about referral marketing and business networking, and I wrote “Nurturing Networker: Business Networking That Matters,” which was released in January 2010.

A new path…

In October 2008 Steve was diagnosed with colon cancer and we started a quest for a holistic alternative to chemo and radiation.  This led us to The Teachings of Abraham books and an awakening to the power of the Law of Attraction and deliberate creation.  I have discovered my passion in coaching others in this discovery, and am studying to be a certified Law of Attraction coach. I created an 8-minute movie, the Attracting Abundance Movie, that is a focusing tool for deliberate creation based on one of the Abraham-Hicks principles, and will be offering on-line workshops as well.

What’s next…

Big changes are in store. I invite you to join the journey by visiting my blog often and contributing to the conversation. I’d love to help guide you in your deliberate creation.  Namaste.