birthday wishes for Linda R.

Today is Linda R. birthday (sorry for the mistake in your name).Please join me in making her birthday a most memorable one.

Here  is her story:

I was born and raised in New York until my family moved to Charlotte NC when I was 15.  My sister is 7 years my senior. I am married since April 11, 1965

The children and grandchildren are a little more complicated. I have 2 biological children; a boy and a girl.

My husband and I were foster parents from 1972 until 1981 and all together had 17 foster children. We legally adopted one girl who lived with us for a number of years. She had/has significant emotional problems and the adoption was ultimately not successful. We also have a son who is not legally related. He was our foster child in the mid 1970’s and is still a member of our family. We have 5 grandchildren (4 biological and one adopted) and two step grandchildren.

We have lived in Orange Park, Florida since 1969.

I don’t currently work outside my home. I retired May 1, 2006 after 24 years with the state social service agency. My primary responsibility was licensing foster homes and child caring and child placing agencies. My husband was a meteorological technician. He retired from federal civil service on May 30, 1999. The combined total of his military and civilian service was 39 years
 
Although, I don’t consider myself a writer I’ve always enjoyed writing anecdotes and short essays. As part of my social services career I was responsible for writing home studies, licensing summaries and court reports

My dad and I enjoyed reading, memorizing and reciting poetry together. I became enthralled with writing short verses and later with writing letters, reports and essays.

I love cooking. I also have a large collection of cookbooks that I enjoy reading for ideas (I seldom actually cook from a recipe)

  
I like family get togethers, playing with grandchildren, writing letters, playing word games and sitting under a tree with a good book and a cool breeze

Pet peeves: - People who don’t keep appointments or are always late.
- People who borrow money from you and never repay as promised
- People who can’t talk without cursing
  
Social issues:

-         Lack of affordable medical care. Medical care should be available to everyone without regard to their ability to pay. Anything less suggests that people who have money are more valuable or have greater rights to good health and adequate treatment
  
Important events:

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My husband and I didn’t have the opportunity to attend college immediately after high school. We began attending college classes in January 1975 when our youngest son started nursery school. We attended classes together and graduated on June 8, 1979 with a BA in Economics
His average was 3.5. My average was 3.92. This was very significant to both of us since my husband’s family told him that he wasn’t college material and my family believed that sending me to college would be a waste of resources because I would get married and be a housewife.

  
I would like to learn to refinish furniture
  
Favorite birthday memory is  none really. I usually received clothing as a birthday present when I was a child. I never had a party. When I had children I always made some kind of party for their birthdays
  
Birthday wish:

-          

-          I wish my husband didn’t have Parkinson’s disease because it takes so much away from his quality of life.
  
My article:
Odds and Ends A Mixed Bag of Childhood Memories
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977013020

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Favorite Songs

Miracles  By Don Williams
I’d Choose You Again   by The Forrester Sisters
Bridge Over Troubled Waters  by Simon and Garfunkel

Happy birthday Linda from all your friends at gather, we hope we have made your day a memorial one.

Note to the birthday club members.  If you have not yet submitted your birthday dates to me please to so.  I need to prepare well enough in advance. Furthemore, when I send you the questions to do your celebration I need to have them back, at least one day prior to your birthday.

Carol Roach: winterose.gather.com

The birthday Club:

http://thebirthdayclub.gather.com/