The Rose

I consider myself a "late bloomer" - When I was in my early thirty's and seeing a therapist in Rockford, IL, I complained about the fact that I always seemed to be behind others my age in my accomplishments. I have not forgotten the words that therapist said to me, "A rose blooms in its own time."

So....when I find myself thinking about my late blooming status, I remind myself of this phrase. My spouse has since given me a framed photograph of a red rose in bloom which is in our bedroom as a constant reminder to me that a "rose does bloom in its own time."

I also have a tendency to downplay my skills and abilities so that's my current growing edge. I've always wanted to write but lacked faith in my ability so this blog is my start and, hopefully, you'll dialogue with me along my path.

Since I saw that therapist, I went on to finish my last year and a half of college in one year at the University of Washington and obtained a B. A. in Psychology. I immediately started graduate school at Seattle University where I earned a M.ED. in counseling. After that I worked in the field of adoption for almost 10 years -- my most rewarding occupation outside of being a wife, mother, and grandmother!

Currently, I'm enjoying semi-retirement with my spouse and I cherish the time we're able to spend together. My children and grandchildren are an important part of my life, too, and I'm lucky to have four of our six grandchildren living nearby. The youngest are 5 and 2 and I welcome opportunities to spend time with them. Friends also play an important part in my life -- spending time with other couples with my spouse or spending alone time with my women friends.

I love to read mysteries so I'll be sharing with you some of my favorite authors and/or books in future blogs as well as favorite movies and music. I'm also attempting to stretch my reading material beyond mysteries so I'm in a couples book club which has me reading books I might not otherwise have given a second glance to. I try to check out new books or recommended books at the library, too, to see if I can find new authors or genres that appeal to me. I'm also a fan of science fiction and fantasy and one of my all-time favorites is "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card.

One of my favorite songs (Can you guess why?) is The Rose." Until recently I'd only heard it performed by Bette Midler but last week I heard a version by Scottie Haskell and both women are equally good in my opinion.

So, that's it for my first post but I look forward to sharing more of my life with you soon.

pazt

Check out the link below to find the book and music I recommended above: