12 Things About Me

I'd like this blog to be for the readers, by the readers. Not about me. But in case there are basics you'd like to know, here's a "12 Things About Me" list.
1. Ferree ryhmes with Marie. Easy, isn't it? It was one of my great-grandma's maiden names.
2. Family: 2 girls, 2 boys, ranging in age from 31 down to 21; one daughter and one son live in Seattle, the other daughter is married and living in northeast Ohio, and my step-son is here in Dayton. Tom and I, both widowed in 2000, met on-line and got married in 2002.
3. Do I work? Yes. I work four days a week at a library where I'm a public service assistant, notary public, and passport agent; I also do a few blog posts and press releases and am on their Speakers Bureau.
4. Education: After highschool I went to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and received a diploma in Communications. I met my first husband, Bruce Bowman, there. We got married in 1978 and served in three different church pastorates over the next 20+ years. In 1998 I completed my B.A. from Moody. After Bruce died I started grad school at Kent State in 2001, but quickly lost interest in the particular career path. I quit the schooling but never the learning.
5. Doctrinal statement in a nutshell: I stake my life on John 14:6--"Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." If you need more than that, feel free to email me your questions. You'll find me in line with MBI, quite orthodox.  I hope this blog will cause us all to draw closer to God as we see Him move in our lives, strengthening our faith in Him for His praise and glory.
I'm a member of Springboro Baptist Church. SBC has a great prayer group and they regularly pray for me, for the widows on the Memorial Wall and for any special prayer requests I send them. If you're in the area I hope you'll visit my church and look me up!
6. Pets: two cats, Elmer and Fudd. 7. One regret: I regret getting cell phones for my kids when they were in highschool.
8. One proud accomplishment: I wear my own holes in my jeans!
9. Hobbies: writing, reading, boating, hiking, biking, hospitality, and every once in a while--a baking binge!
10. Sure, friend me on Facebook! Ferree Hardy
11. Do I make any money at this? No, not a cent.
12. Why do I do this?  One reason is that I wish I'd found a site like this when I was first widowed; I spent far too many hours playing solitaire and freecell. Another reason is that I'm in a unique situation of empty nest with no grandkids or kids nearby, I'm in a new community and not very involved, and Tom works a lot of hours--so although I also work, I still have time on my hands--well, time I prefer to use doing this rather than housecleaning or exercising! I like writing, I've even been working on a book for widows the last few years, plus I have the sort of personality that can handle tapping back into that original pain of grief when I need to empathize with new widows. When I look at all those factors, it seems to me that God has designed me, my life, and my current circumstances for such a blog as this. When I look back over the past year and think of all the new friends I've made and the amazing women of faith I've met . . . well, then I know I'm doing this because this is what I'm supposed to do.