About Me
I have been passionate about religious
education for a very long time. As a child, I loved to hear my
mother read Bible stories by candlelight at our lake cabin.
Together, with my younger sister, we puzzled over the war
stories of the Hebrew testaments.
By the time I was in high school,
I was drawn toward religious sharing and questioning.
Because we could drive at age fifteen, it was easy to have
such discussions away from parents and authority figures.
When I did approach a Presbyterian minister regarding my
belief system fueled by being present in the company of brilliant
sunsets and the sounds of nature, he told me that what I was
experiencing was not enough.
Concurrently,
my interest in Quakerism developed in creative writing class due to
joint reading with the young man across the aisle.
To the chagrin of the teacher, we eagerly read—and then
discussed what we read with each other during class.
My friend and I read a book about many religions.
Quakerism was the biggest draw.
Before I left home in Sioux
Falls, South Dakota, my mother noticed that I had a proclivity
towards religious education.
She suggested that I think about becoming a Presbyterian
religious education director when I started to think about a career.
This interest in religion
continued while I studied at Macalester College. It was at
Macalester that I first became involved with Quakers through
participation in AFSC workcamps in Minnesota and France.
I finally settled down as a
Quaker in Menomonie, Wisconsin with husband, Stephen, and two young
children, Tanya and Timothy. We were part of a parent group that
started the Family Learning Center (FLC), a family cooperative
preschool. Because of
FLC, I was inspired to work on a master’s degree in elementary
education at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
This training informed much of my work in religious
education.
Our family attended Friends
General Conference (FGC) Gatherings for many years and we
participated in the Junior Gathering in various capacities.
I soon became active in the FGC Religious Education
Committee, served as clerk of the committee and edited and wrote
materials for the Opening Doors curriculum series.
Now my husband and I are active
in Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP).
Through AVP, I became interested in teaching basic skills
including but not limited to listening skills as new families come
into meetings and churches.
Throughout the years, what has
remained with me is a deep respect for nature and the profound sense
that there is that of God within each and every one of us.
Furthermore, we all need help in finding and listening to
that still small voice.
Many angels have been sent to me with help in listening and finding.
And now, I hope that I can pass on a bit of that listening
and finding to others.
Updated: 9/15/2015
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