About Me
I am a retired police officer of nine years, injured
in my 40's in the line of duty. Months after the injury I underwent
fusion of two vertabraes in my neck. It didn't take me long to realize
that I wouldn't be returning to police work as an officer. At the
time I was working on my education, and had offers of career advancement.
The loss of my career hit me hard, and I fell into a state of depression.
Only my religion, my belief in Jesus and trust in him kept me from
giving up.
Within a year after the accident I moved in with family
because I could no longer afford to live on my own, nor did I feel I should.
My neck injury had caused me to loose partial use of my right side, and
my frequent falls frightened me. As of August 2005 I have been diagnosed with Ankelosing Spondilitis, or bone spurrs on the spine near the canal where the spianl cord goes. It is very painful throught my spine, and causes all kinds of nerve problems.
My sister, a musician, encouraged me to use my creative
side of my brain as an outlet, so I returned to a hobby I had loved 20 years
prior. I returned to sewing, not just as a small hobby, but I delved
into quilting and sewing with a passion. I am now an an avid quilter
and seamstress. I enjoy almost all forms of needlework, including
hand and machine embroidery, and am studying the history of and different
types of needlework.
I have hopes that someday I can be called a master craftsman,
and be able to teach a skill I enjoy to others. Sewing in some forms
is a lost art. By encouraging our youth to explore fabric and textile
arts, we foster growth and appreciation for fine arts, and possibly start
the next generation to save hand fabric arts from being replaced by machine
art. Creativity is not only a skill they can use to express themselves,
but is also a much needed skill when problem solving in the corporate world.
Unfortunately our school system is so underbudgeted that
art programs (both physical and musical) are being dropped right and left,
and funding has gone to pay for sports alone such as football and baseball.
I don't mean to knock exercise, it is also important, but so are the arts.
We as nation need to express our belief that the arts are not dispensable,
but are actually necessary to the wellbeing of our nation.
Tiger
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