About Me

Let's climb a mountain!

There is a great movie about a young boy in India who had to climb over the next mountain to get to school.  It is one of our family favorites.  We all have our mountains that we have to climb in life…   

Starting in the valley of an unwed mothers home hospital in Kansas City, Mo, my life has been one mountain climb after another.  I was adopted and raised by wonderful parents who tried to give me everything that would ensure success for me.  

Unfortunately, hereditary proved stronger than environment and I ended up  chasing the parties and the waves on the beach by the time I was 16.  My parents did not know what hit them.  Somehow, I graduated high school and made it to some college only to drop out and get married.  At least it was in a beautiful place – Yosemite National Park where we lived and climbed real mountains. 

Unfortunately again, I married another alcoholic drug user. This began a series of mountains and low valleys in my life. My marriage lasted 10 years, but as happens in alcoholic situations, things get ugly and mine was no exception.  I can, however, praise God for the two children that I have from that marriage.  My oldest daughter just graduated from college and is helping young girls who have problems to get their lives back on track.  And my younger daughter is a self – advocate speaker who has Down syndrome and is just starting college. Both of them have learned to climb mountains and encourage others to climb as well. 

Soon after getting married, I determined to find my birthparents, so I started a search that led me not only to my birthmother, who lived in the Bahamas, but also led me into a career in which I founded Search-Finders of Idaho and became an Independent Search Consultant.  We climbed some big mountains as we worked hard to help people in the Adoption Rights movement.   I kept in touch with my birthmother, but she had her problems and I had mine (surprisingly similar in nature).   

Along the way, Jesus met me and I did change some of my ways.  I had made so many mistakes in my short life that I had many consequences to deal with.  It would take years to make things right again, but Jesus has redeemed many of those things which I lost.  Sometimes, Jesus has to move the mountains by faith.  

I went on to marry my knight in shining armor only to realize that I needed to stop chasing love to satisfy my need for acceptance. He did not come with the kind of baggage I did and God used him to teach me many lessons about love and acceptance. This need for acceptance would only be satisfied through knowing that God loved me.  Once that was settled, my addictions were settled. Another mountain moved by God. My widowed husband came with 3 wonderful children who I have raised as my own.   Of course, parenting comes with its own hills, mountains and valleys, especially when it is step-parenting!  In my step-kids, we have ADHD and Aspergers syndrome.  We have had to accommodate for these, but they are just mountains that must be crossed.   By God’s grace, they will learn to be life’s mountain climbers and help others to climb as well.  For 14 years, Jeff and I have home schooled these 5 children to the best of our ability.  Lord knows that we have not done everything “right”, and our kids would agree!  

Now, God has now taken one of our children home to heaven.  Two weeks after his 18^th birthday, he fell off a cliff while hiking and died instantly.  I had 2 more family members’ funerals to attend within 6 months of 

To contact me: writeapage@gmail.com

 his.  Talk about a valley, but God gives us the strength to climb out of the valleys and back to the hilltops.  

 The mountain tops will come…  That was one year ago and I am on my way back up.  Serving others helps to get your eyes off yourself and your problems to start living again.  I am enjoying myself as I serve the 

 disabled community (as my own form of remembrance to Daniel).  Walking in the steps the Lord has prepared for me is rewarding.  Advocating for intellectually disabled adults, I am actively trying to develop programs for them at College of Western Idaho,  I am serving as the Vice-President of Treasure Valley Down Syndrome Association, and I am a Support Broker in the Idaho Self – Direction program.  Advocating for Adult Adoptees and Birthparents is one of my passions.  As founder of Search-Finders of Idaho, I continue to speak out for the adoption triad.  I praise the Lord for the opportunities He has given me to serve. 

For a long time, people have told me to write on more than one topic – Down syndrome, Aspergers, home schooling, home 

 schooling with disabilities, adoption, my search, etc…  I am passionate about most all of these topics, so thank you for taking the time to stop by and read.