Share Your Passion! Contest Award Winning Essay ... - Front Porch

An example of Annie’s courage was demonstrated during the early weeks of her fourthpregnancy. A miscarriage was threatening. Her obstetrician gave her a choice of going to bedfor the balance of the pregnancy or allowing nature to take its course. She chose to go to bedin the belief that this pregnancy was meant to be. Having “Mommy” in bed for several monthswas a true test for our family. Our fourth child was delivered at seven months by emergencyCaesarian under precarious conditions. But for the skill of the obstetrician and the pediatricianboth mother and child would have died. Just for the record, that fourth child earned an MBA atStanford.Having worked as a school nurse for fifteen years, Annie was granted a sabbatical leave. At theage of forty nine she set off on a four month tour, traveling alone, in the South Pacific. Shevolunteered in school and public health programs in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Westand American Samoa and French Polynesia. Her experiences included working with the FlyingDoctor Service in the Outback of Australia, living on a remote island in Fiji with a public healthnurse where there was no electricity or running water. She lived with a Tahitian family on BoraBora where no one spoke English. The story of these experiences as well as much more abouther is told in the book I wrote, entitled My Annie.Annie’s uncanny ability to recognize opportunity provided the motivation for us to invest in anumber of income properties. One of these was an old motel in Palm Springs. After retiringfrom our professions we spent thirteen years managing the property. This was a challenging andrewarding way to end our working lives. When the time came for us to retire it was her goodjudgment that prompted us to consider moving to a continuing care retirement community.Sixty three years of living together has provided me with unanticipated excitement, a family tobe justly proud of and a romantic relationship with my passion that has made me a supremelyhappy man.