I was born in love, surrounded and held in the earliest weeks of my life by my Mom, maternal grandparents, and aunts and uncles.
I was raised in love, surrounded by my parents, and my brother, among the happiest years of my life.
I have known and still know, the love of God, growing up in a church surrounded by other children and adults who supported and mentored and encouraged me and still do.
I grew up in the love of extended family, the oldest of 34 grandchildren on one side, and 4th from the last on the other.
I remember being loved through high school, even though I did not love myself.
I learned about my love for justice and my hatred of injustice in my first college experience and which I have tried to live throughout my life.
I was saved by the love of grace and forgiveness through recovery.
I experienced the love and sadness for my own lost children, only to be given a chance to serve and help other children, and to be blessed with my adopted daughter, stepdaughters and grandchildren.
I have had the incredible opportunity to experience the love of compassion, and receiving more back than I gave in careers of social work, nursing, chaplaincy, and bereavement.
I have all my life experienced and been blessed with the love, support, and joy of lifelong friends.
I have had, and still do, the unconditional love and joy of animals in my life.
I have not only survived but learned over and over from my own struggles in life.
I have experienced the JOY of humor in life in spite of life’s pain and difficulties!
I have experienced and still do the lifelong love of my husband through thick and thin.
Through it all,
I REMEMBER LOVE,
I HAVE BEEN LOVED,
I GIVE LOVE,
AND I WILL ALWAYS, ALWAYS,
CHOOSE LOVE!
Mom, Dad, and Carolyn.
Carolyn & Don.
My grandbabies.
Blessings,
Carolyn Q.
