My Story

BEFORE:
I was raised in a Catholic Christian home.  My religious journey was not what is a typical Catholic progression of recieving the sacaraments. My religious journey was what you might describe as  little non traditional. Yes, I was baptized right after I was born but it was many years later that Idid my confirmation, first confession and first communion. I was born in Puerto Rico. When I was 6 1/2 we sold everything and moved to Fremont, Ohio. Our story is told everyday, we came to build a better life for ourselves. There was so much change for all of us. With the help of a family member that was living there already we were able to find a place to liveand my dad and mom were able to find work right away. This was back in 1952 when there was no promise of assistance from the government. But, they worked hard and within  couple of years they bought their own house.  Even though we were religious, religion was not a priority at that time so I didn't go to a Catholic school nor did I take religious classes. We didn't go to church every Sunday. My dad prayed the rosary every night and my mom taught me some Bible stories. I did go to summer  Bible school . Despite the fact that we didn't go to  church every Sunday, it was always important to my parents that I make my first communion. At about the age of 12 I started religious classes. After about a year I made my confirmation then my first confession and then communion. From my religious classes and because Iwas older, I began to learn about faith and how important it is in my life. Faith that when life gets chaotic and out of control just to reach out to God and he is there to help. We can't do it on our own. I continue everyday to work at strenthening my faith.

IN JESUS:
I wanted to leave home after H.S. It was hard leaving my mom and dad, I always felt that they needed me there. But God has a plan for us and mine was to leave. We couldn't afford college so I went to Weaver Airline school in Kansas City, Missouri. I was only 17 and had never been far from home. After being there about a month or so, a posting came up from Delta Airline for employment in Cincinnati, Ohio. This was perfect for me because it would be close to home. I put in for it, was flown to Atlanta, Georgia for an interview and got the job and went to work in Cincinnati. God had a plan for me. After several months of working there I met my husband of 59 years. We dated almost a year when the military called him up for duty. We decided to get married which we did and a couple months later he was deployed to VietNam. He was there for a year. My faith that he would come home to me was strong and I prayed hard for his safety every day. God was looking out for us and he did come home, many of his friends didn't come home. He came home and finished his undergrad and several years later went on to graduate from law school. When he graduated from law school weowned our house, I had 2 kids and was pregnant with my third. We decided that the US Army JAGC would be a good next step so he put in for it and was accepted and we would be stationed in Germany.  During this time in Cincinnati and before law school' we had encouraged my mom and dad to move to Cincinnati which they did. They were retired and older. But now with our move overseas I worried without us there that it would be difficult for them. My dad,s dream was always to go back to PR so we took them back to help them find a home. God was helping us all this time. The family there helped. They found a house close to their family. They were back homesurrounded by family and familiar surroundings and wewere at peace to continue our journey. Now we had to go back to sell our house which we did almost right away. We finished things up in Cincinnati then the step before Germany was Charlottesville, Virginia for 3 month JAG training before flying to Germany. We finally made it to Germany but there was no housing for us so we lived in the BOQ for almost 2 months before we found permanent housing in a little German village. Everything was good and then we found out that my husband's mom had breast cancer and was hospitalized. So, we  made arrangements to fly home to see her. I'm so thankful that we did because she passed soon after. She passed away before meeting her grandaughter. We loved being in the US Army JAGC but after 2  years we decided that we needed to get back to civilian life. God had a plan and He helped us make our choice to leave. We came back to Cincinnati. MY husband's cousin was moving to Florida and was selling her house so we bought it and made our move into it. My husband didn't go into legal work right away instead his old company took him back. I'd always wanted to go to college so I enrolled part time loved it so much that I went full time. It was a struggle with 3 kids at home but with God's help and guidance I was able to do it. In the meantime my husband decided that he wanted to work for the government so he applied and was hired in the legal department, but in Battle Creek, Mi. So, I had to quit my studies, we had to sell a house again and uproot to Michigan. In Michigan I was able to finish my studies and got my teaching degree then went on to work on my masters but never finished, maybe someday.

The Good News; God sent his only son so that he could teach us that no matter what our struggles or weaknesses are, if we believe in Him and in His grace and mercy we can learn to be spiritually strong as well as mentally and physically strong. Jesus died for our sins. We can trust that he'll always be with us to guide us to do the God's will.

Verse: Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded? Be strong and courages. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.