I currently deliver meals on wheels groceries to go. The best thing we can all do for the elderly is the gift of our time. I sit with my delivery clients and we visit. Sometimes I may be the only person they see that day. Communication and time are what the elderly want. Unfortunately, we value time differently at the stages of our life. This is a lesson that I have received many times over the years. They want to tell their stories. I know for myself, I had a WWII veteran in his 80s I met at my first duty station. He would tell me his life stories and his wife would tell me how difficult her childhood of picking cotton was. She would not do it over again. They have both passed away since then but they live on a little bit each time I am able to retell their stories. Had I not given them my time and friendship they would eventually be lost to photos and his war stories to the national archives... He was a young person at one point, they all were and they have a wealth of knowledge to share.

Communication and acceptance that we can support and provide assurance that we are in this life together. That you are not alone in your struggle, we all at some point will need each other so be there.

A personal failure which ended up being my greatest lesson. In 2016 I was deployed in Afghanistan, I was the only female supervisor running a fighter maintenance shop. During this time frame there were several troops that I had to manage and educate on deployed life as this was their first deployment. There were many first including rocket attacks that they were prepared for when we left home station but the reality is you are not prepared until you have your first siren go off and it is a real incoming. Those troops and myself had to grow up really fast. I over the years have become immune to rockets and the sirens. I know what to do from my previous 4 deployments so I went straight into work/survival mode. I was not prepared to the realization that they were not automatically going to do what they were trained to do. They were scared that first time. I relive that moment several times over the years. We can train anyone to do anything but when the time comes you have to find it in yourself to be ready and when you are not you have to look to others for guidance. After that first attack and thereafter I understood the needs of my troops. There would be many growing pains. I would learn that some people are not meant to strive to pass meets every standard in excellence. Some people are ok with just being average and that is ok. There is not anything wrong with that and that was a hard lesson for a supervisor who wants more for them then they may want for themselves. I am encouraged by my colleagues who are currently enrolled in higher-level academics and what value they have put on education and how proud they have become of their achievements. In this way they have continued on the tradition of being a mentor to myself as I have continued to strive to be to those I am working with as well as those personal friends of mine that I can be a role model to both them and their children on the value of higher education as a first-generation undergraduate degree holder as well as a future graduate degree holder. I would like to alleviate financial stress in my education goals which is why I have chosen to apply for financial scholarships with the University. As well as we are all aware of if we do not apply then the scholarship does not get used and the intent is lost as well as the opportunity to share the possibilities to other applying graduate students via our word of mouth. Thank you, Michele Boutell

Norman was found alone running the streets of Waco, Texas. He was rescued by Melissa and kept warm and fed until he found his forever home with Michele who had lost her 14 year old fur baby 9 months before. They say if you wait for them they will come at just the right time and Norman sure did fill that hole in both our hearts.