I am watching the news on TV. A young boy is standing before a judge. He had shot a fellow student due to bullying. I am devastated. How could this be? Why did it happen? What took place in this child's life to create this disastrous outcome?

I knew that from the day I was born I had a sense of belonging, to my family, my friends, my school, my church, and my small village. This sense of belonging brought me through the good times and the most difficult situations in my life.

Growing up during the Great Depression we needed each other. Everyone needed to give or to receive help of one kind or another. The whole town came when we had an uncontrolled fire. They put not only their time but also their lives on the line beating back the flames. This is only one of my childhood remembrances. Each person had a role to play. Each little chore, no matter how big or how small was helpful to the family and also gave you a sense of purpose, a sense of responsibility, a sense of being . . . a sense of belonging.

These stories are a mixture of funny, sad, and sometimes silly things that happened from my birth in 1925 up to the time I was ready to leave school and begin nurse's training.

I hope that by reading my life story you may create ways to develop a sense of belonging for yourself, for your own children, and for your family. This life we have is a miracle and a sense of belonging is necessary for us from the day we are born until we take our last breath.