I don’t remember a time I didn’t believe in God or know that Jesus was His Son and our Savior, but I made my profession of faith and was baptized at about age 12. I’ll never forget the experience of understanding I was the Lord’s! The sun became ten times brighter and it was as if I could hear angels singing. It was a supremely joyful moment. And I can still “see” my immersion baptism in the small Baptist church as if I were looking on. My mother made me a beautiful red dress just for the occasion.
With certainty and gratitude, I can declare that God has never failed me, even though I have failed Him many times over. God has blessed me with family and friends, opportunities and health, freedom and education. He has been ever faithful and I look forward to the day when I can bow at the feet of Jesus and thank Him for His unconditional love that has made all the difference.
I have an undergraduate degree in Healthcare Consumer Relations and a master’s in Religious Studies. I am a Fellow of the National Society of Patient Representation and Consumer Affairs (NSPRCA). I served as NSPRCA president and board member for five years.
I worked for 27 years in healthcare, first as an office nurse and then as a corporate director in a large healthcare system. In the healthcare system, my primary responsibilities were to patient concerns, patient rights, customer service, and medical ethics. I taught on these matters through writing and speaking from coast to coast. For several years, I authored a byline, Patient Perspective, for the Memphis Healthcare News, a twice-monthly publication that covered the mid-south area. Other healthcare publications included the Tennessee Hospital Association newsletter, Marketing Perspective, and nursing and pharmacy newsletters. I was published in the Memphis Commercial Appeal about hospitals being a microcosm of our greater society.
Devotional publications include Upper Room, the Methodist Reporter, and Presbyterian Daily. At the request of my pastor, I provided guidelines on our church blog for personal devotional time.
I am delighted to be a by-distance Canberra Christian Writers’ Group (CCWG) member in Australia. I was published in the CCWG anthologies of 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. This group extended a great kindness to me and I am benefiting from it ongoingly.
I am especially grateful for the six years I directed the ministry of the Exceptional Department at West Jackson Baptist Church, Jackson, TN. These 30+ mentally disabled adults grew me in love and understanding beyond anything I could imagine.
I live in a suburb of Memphis and am active in my church, First Assembly Memphis. For nine years, I tutored second graders in reading at our school, First Assembly Christian School. I serve on the leadership board of Women of the Word and assist our church office in dispatching the prayer requests of our members. I taught adult Sunday school for many years and served on the administrative council of two churches.
My daughter and son-in-law, Kristi and Mark Hearn, live in Georgia and are the joy of my heart. Though many miles apart, we talk and share our lives daily.
Prayerful Pondering 
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