A typical day on the ranch started with a hearty breakfast and ended with family dinner around the table. On Sunday, I attended church with my parents, my younger sister, and brother. Once a month, after services, we dined at the historic Waters Hotel with its simple elegance of hardwood floors, crisp white linens, and fresh flowers. During the twelve-mile drive home against a background of Kansas skies, golden wheat fields, grazing cattle, and an occasional windmill, I watched with fascination as Dad smoked a cigar and created perfect smoke rings.

My education began in a one-room schoolhouse four miles from home, then continued with grade school and high school in Goodland, Kansas, and graduation in 1960 from Kansas State University. Growing up in a community of 5,000 people, I was active in local and state 4-H activities, cheerleading, baton twirling, and national organizations. These activities, as much as I enjoyed them, were always overshadowed by a curious and inquiring mind that caused me to suspect there was more to my world than what I knew. It wasn't until my expectations of a perfect life were shattered by painful and heartbreaking events that I discovered what was missing. Through my experiences with my disabled son, Chris, I realized the true purpose of living.

In the long process of learning to deal with Chris’ cerebral palsy, I joined with one hundred forty-eight members of the Mothers’ Auxiliary to create better services and more stimulating activities for our disabled children. During that same time, I became a primary participant in fundraising for a five-acre site in Chatsworth, California, a model residential facility where Chris became a resident.

Later, after my divorce, I returned to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Denver. As Social Services Coordinator for Hope Center, I supervised financial and educational services for sixty-eight developmentally disabled students and their families. I served on the Board of Directors of Denver Developmental Services, which focused on residential alternatives. I participated in parent education groups, community workshops, and a brother-sister group.

I wrote articles for the National Camp Fire Leader Magazine: What Is Mental Retardation; Understanding the Mentally Retarded Person; Activities for Children with Disability; Everyone Needs a Friend. Other educational writings include: WHERE IS THE LIFE THAT WAS LOST IN LIVING? Sociological Aspects of Culture and Marriage: The Construction of Reality in Relation to the Adjustment Process Faced by Parents of Handicapped Children; Contrasting Existentialism with the Nature of Human Society As Seen By George Herbert Mead and Implications on Education.

A tragedy, such as a disabled child, an incurable disease, or a major loss is an opportunity to realize the true meaning of suffering, and to become fully engaged with life. That is when suffering ceases to be suffering. In this book, I am reaching out to women, men, parents, teachers, counselors, clergy, and even adult children who are not only seeking to better understand themselves, but ultimately discover more effective ways in which to contribute to the lives of others.

I hope my story will help you find the truth in your own experiences and discover possibilities you never imagined.