I grew up on a dairy farm- a farmer’s daughter with a love for the land. Our family established a farm in 1853 in mid-Michigan. A farmer has to have significant faith because so much is out of his control. I cling to that faith. I am an only daughter and I have two older brothers. Paper and pencils are my favorite tools; I have always enjoyed reading and writing. As a young girl, I often walked back to the woods or somewhere quiet and wrote poems. I married and had two children. When they entered school, I attended college and became a registered nurse. I later returned to college and completed a B.S.N. program at University of Michigan, Flint. I have practiced in several different areas of nursing and served as a parish nurse for fourteen years. My grandfather and father collected antiques. I loved to hear them tell stories about their antiques. They taught me the story of ‘family’ is precious.