Hello,
My mother named me Ruth Suzanne. Ruth, because that was her twin sister’s name. Suzanne, because she thought it was a lovely name. I’ve always been known as Suzanne.
I grew up in a time it was safe to walk to and from school, and moms were almost always at home when kids arrived. I grew up smack dab in the middle of this amazing country, when the city of Omaha was not yet a sprawling metropolis. Diversity was not even a word talked about because all people were the same in my family’s eyes. I cherish diversity and probably always have. I also grew up when school was usually fun and not too difficult, playing outside at night with the neighbor kids was the norm, and eating dinner together each evening was as natural as breathing.
One can come close to guessing what generation I belong to. I’ve watched families and kids change over the past four decades as an educator. While change is exciting and powerful, I can honestly say that much has been lost as well.
My parent’s faith journey molded my own. They acted out what they believed. Their word was golden. Hard work was part of life.
Unconditional love,
Own up to the truth,
Forgiveness follows the ‘I’m sorry’
God is all about growth and freedom from self.
So, it is little wonder that God has brought me to this place where Arise to Shine is a place for me to share what I believe.
Short Biography:
Born in Kansas and raised in Nebraska. My college years put me where I am today in a suburb north of Chicago, IL. My parents and only older brother moved to ChiTown environs around the same time. I received a BA and MA in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University and taught in a local elementary public school for over 38 years. Those years taught me who I was. I retired from my work loving that work, being a teacher. I valued mentoring those just getting their start in the classroom.
I have two amazing daughters who are as different as night is to day but love the same music – and a lot of it. Grandchildren has become the best part about being a mother. I am thrilled that my girls value each other and the relationship they have with me.
My life has encountered the heartbreak of an early divorce, and in my marriage today I am learning what it really means to believe in the words “in sickness and in health.” I have struggled with watching people I love in the grip of addiction. I know what it is like to almost lose a precious human to self-destruction. I value these as life lessons. God was present, and He is present…always.
My faith journey has brought me to understand that belonging to a church has nothing to do with the building, or how the people dress, or what they can offer me. Church is not how I can show them how important I am.
Church is all about fellowship, learning what God wants us to know, worship, and working through the transformation God initiates so we will someday grow up to be like His Son. I love Hillside Church. I am proud to say I have found ways to serve this blessed place. One way was to become part of the food pantry ministry which has served thousands since it began.
