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And somehow, I learned "why" I was born after spending over half of my life married to a man I regarded, in spite of his disability, as a tower of strength, blessed with wisdom and knowledge, and endowed with the capacity to be able to bring both of us into the abundant life promised by God to all who follow Him. A 1955 polio victim, my husband turned his life around with all he had left that was good. We embarked on a rehabilitation program where he returned to college and majored in Psychology, minored in Education and earned a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling. He graduated with the highest accumulated in Psychology over a 4 year period, received the award for moral and academic excellence and was named President to the Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society. He went on to work for the State Department of Mental Health and later did counseling from the home. The years I spent as a caregiver and experience I had dealing with the health care system afforded me the opportunity of learning about the negative effects our health care system had on those trying to maintain quality of life while disabled. I hold this as a journey where I feel I learned more from attending the "College of Adversity" than students attending any college throughout the state. After my husband's passing in 1993 I became a part of the Silver Haired Legislature advocacy organization where I am presently the Silver Haired Legislator Representative for Melrose, and precincts 3, 4, 5 and 6 Wakefield and also Speaker of the House of the Leadership Committee. We are an advocacy organization that draws up priority bills to be presented to the State Legislature focusing on issues regarding seniors and the disabled. I teach line dancing to Seniors, have a repertoire of 155 dances of my own choreography and an entertainment show made up of some of my students where we entertain at assisted living complexes, apartment houses, nursing homes, AARP chapters, churches, synagogues and private parties with my Lhasa-apso dog Muffin under the name of "Forever Young and Muffin."
I also help out at the Milano Senior Center several days each week as receptionist, and a member of the Melrose Silver Stringers.
Additional Articles by Anne MacGillivray |