When I graduated I remember someone was having us put a good contact address and phone number on a 3x5 card so we could be found many years later. At the time I did not think anyone would want to contact me, nor did my rebellious heart want to be contacted. Well, time sure changed my heart. I guess, for one, I am still not one of the popular ones, but my life has taken me to places I never dreamed I would go. And I am 39 years clean and sober as of 8/1/82. I have spent my career in Law Enforcement, starting as a dispatcher for LAPD (twice) and ending recently as a Corrections Counselor at Multnomah County Probation and Parole here in Portland, Oregon. I wasn’t one for adhering to the laws when I graduated, so being in Law Enforcement was not even on my radar. But I loved it, and after I retired, I realized how much I miss the criminals, alcoholics/drug addicts, and Sociopaths. I was well versed in the Sociopaths criminal history before they were assigned to me, so it was fun. Not the Bundy’s or the Gary’s, they needed to be locked up and throw away the key. But the ones who were mislabeled or not very good at being a Sociopath, never having any understanding of empathy. I have two grown daughters who I raised (as a single mother) in AA and Al-Anon. One has never had any alcohol or mind altering drugs (not sure what planet she was born on, and not sure who her mother is?) and the other daughter is following in her mother’s footsteps, even though neither one has ever seen their mother under the influence (thank God). Being in Law Enforcement and being clean and sober for 39 years, I have seen a lot of people die as a result of addiction. I pray my youngest daughter won’t be one of them. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s in Social Work. I am not a bleeding do-gooder, I am a therapist and I work hard to not enable my clients. When I look back on my life, I have a lot of regrets. In High School I wanted everyone to think I was “hip slick and cool “ instead of just being the insecure person I was. I missed a lot of opportunities to build friendships. But I also feel as if my life really started 45 years ago, because that’s when I met Jesus, the love of my life. I have had a lot trauma in my life, but I have also had the most amazing experiences. I am 72 years old, I have diabetes and I am in a wheelchair. But before the pandemic hit, I was a whirling dervish all over the place and I plan to continue to enjoy the world enthusiastically My oldest daughter took me to Disney World in a first class plane, we stayed at most of the incredible Disney hotels, all our food was gourmet and we stayed for 29 days so we could do everything. I even was in Diagon Alley and have my very own Harry Potter wand. Have not figured out how to use it on people yet but I am working on it. When the pandemic is lifted, I want to volunteer with a Domestic Violence organization and also work with alcohol and drug addicts. But for now, I remain under “house arrest” and they didn’t even give me a “electronic ankle bracelet“. I pray all of the alumni are safe from the coronavirus and for all the families that have been devastated, I pray God will put His arms (wings) around them because their lives will never be the same. And for those who are suffering from the virus, I pray you will recover fully and quickly. Stay safe and God bless you.