I pushed the call to public ministry away for many years.  I went to college after high school for a two-year degree and then went to work in the business world.  With the exception of some time in my 20s I was active in my congregation.  Prayer is a huge part of my life since I was a very young child.  Got married, had two children, raised them in the Church.  Got involved in the Women of the ELCA and had one term at synodical women’s organization president for NE PA.  When I went to the conference of presidents in Chicago, the floodgates opened and I didn’t look back – this was in my 40s.  I went back to school in 2013 at 47 years old for my B.A., then went to seminary (COVID happened), became a spiritual director, got ordained as a Deacon in 2022 at 55 years old.  During seminary, I was working with older adults with mild intellectual disabilities.  Currently, I provide pulpit supply to congregations in transition for the past four years, have been a per diem trauma hospital chaplain for six years, and am an adjunct professor of theology at the University of Scranton where I teach Introduction to The Bible and provide spiritual direction at their annual silent retreat for the past four years.  I have two classes to go for my D.Min through Moravian University and then I’ll be focusing my major project on the effects on people of the ritual of anointing and laying on our hands.  I am 59 years old now and since my time in seminary and after ordination, I finally feel that I am doing exactly what I was meant to do.