Fork in my Journey
Life often brings us to a 'fork in the road'. At the age of 70, I can tell you that I have had numerous forks in my journey, decisions, and transitions where I could have gone in a different direction, and life would have been entirely different. From job change to educational pursuits, major relocations, and even mundane, simple decisions, I chose one path over another. How do I choose? Firstly, I pray about my choices, seeking that still, small voice of peace from the Holy Spirit. I also discuss options with Andy, my husband, who knows me so well, or I might discuss the decision with a dear friend who speaks into my life with honesty and authenticity. Some decisions have been right, even though the journey might be arduous; the result was for the better. In contrast, other decisions were not seemingly the correct choice, with surprising outcomes. Although I will say, I learn from every fork in the road, every decision comes with a lesson for me to learn.
That being said, I am about to embark on a new path, a new direction in my life. In 2018, I retired from my 45-year career in nursing to partner with Andy as caregivers for his mom, who battled with worsening dementia. She lost her battle to this devastating disease in the spring of 2019. After a short period of adjusting, I felt ready to move forward, yet had no compass to follow. In other words, I had lost my direction and thought that I was floundering without meaning or purpose. I became a certified ESL instructor and taught at a local community college. This was rewarding work, but I still felt called to something different. In the summer of 2022, while in Montana visiting grandkids, I took my grandsons to the library and discovered the book "Life is in the Transitions" by Bruce Feiler. This book led me to the work of Dr. Birren- a renowned sociologist- who developed a program for legacy life storytelling, 'Guided Autobiography.' I pursued certification as a facilitator, led a couple of online groups, and helped write four legacy books for friends. It was an 'ah-ha' fork-in-the-road for me. I delved into this wholeheartedly, creating a small business, 'Legacy Story Coach.' I created workshops of different lengths and themes, wrote workbooks for the varied seminars, all while teaching my ESL classes. The journey into life story writing was educational for me. I have discovered new technology and have begun writing a memoir myself, about caregiving for someone with dementia. Yet, the legacy writing business never flourished. I struggled to find participants who wanted to write their stories. I had to come to recognize that this was not my 'encore' work. Now, I do not believe in coincidences, but rather, divine appointments. It was through this work that I met a couple of Ukrainian women who asked me to tutor ESL classes to help them pass an English placement test called "TOEFL". I happily did because I am passionate about mentoring others. We began a TOEFL journey. This led me to update my LinkedIn website and eventually led me to an online tutoring job with TST Prep. At long last, I not only discovered my passion again —online teaching —but also my direction. It was as if God was leading me here all along. As I prayed for direction, online teaching was knocking at my door.
I have recently decided to shift my focus from Legacy Life Story writing to online ESL tutoring and working for TST prep. I am redesigning my website (with Linda Dunn, my website creator) to focus on my online tutoring. I am devoted to helping students around the world and locally learn English to achieve their personal goals and to help them connect with their new language skills. I have a great sense of peace about this and believe it is the right direction for me. I can apply the gifts and talents God has given me to serve others, just as I did when I was a nurse. I am grateful beyond measure and am drinking from the saucer because my cup overflows!