english 1b I am

Feb 3, 2011
     I have worked with handicapped children for 24 years. After being injured on the job I am now a return college student. It has been 16 years, but I am back. When I am not at school or doing homework, I enjoy my family, gardening, kayaking, camping, and being away from the towns and cities. I was raised on the out skirts of small town in Oregon with less than 2000 people. Even though I never want to live there again, I do miss living close to nature. I am very involved in my church but my holy place in any quiet place that is surrounded by the wilderness.
     There is something to be said for being raised in the country. I was able to leave my house for the day with nothing in my hands and hike as far as I wanted. I would stop at the streams and drink and eat lunch from the wild berries and plants along the path. My mother was a wonderful teacher and we grew up knowing most of the plants and animals around us. She also taught us to make most of our school clothing, and gave us a hunger for trying new foods.
My Father served in the Navy when he was young. It gave him the education to go with his genius. He was able to take that education in to the world and designed and built many pieces of equipment that are still in use in our world. As a child I loved to study his drawings and watch him work. He was quite patient with me and would always explain things when I asked, probably because no one else in our family had the aptitude for engineering.
     It was not until I was in my forties that I realized that my father had given me a gift that I loved. While I was working for the schools I found that our budget did not cover some of the very expensive equipment we needed. I began designing a building equipment for the schools handicapped children. But not until I was injured did I take is serious and return to school.
Kelly F
360 words