Born in Syracuse, New York in 1946 to a single mother who told me when I was about 5 yrs. old and tired of my questioning her that my father died in the war.  This was not the truth.  I found out years later that he was married and had eleven other children.  I was the product of an extra - marital affair. I found out from my aunt (mother's sister) that I was not the first child.  I also have a brother that was born after me who is 15 yrs. younger.  He was adopted.  We were united in 2004 after he sent me a letter.  He was living in Michigan and I live in north-western New York. We talked on the phone and he came to see me.  We have a close relationship today.  I grew up an only, lonely child though.  I came to know Jesus through Sunday school and church school.  Church school was when we were let out of elementary school one afternoon a week to attend the church near the school.  We would take turns ringing the church bell in the belfrey.  The pastor gave us communion and blessed us.  Without Jesus I don't think I would have mede it through childhood and certainly not through all the catastrophe of my adolescence and troubled and abusive marraige.  For twelve years from the time of the divorce until 1992 when my mother died and I joined AA I battled the bottle.  When I was divorced from my husband my two sons were 9 and 11 yrs. old.  I rationalized at that time that they belonged with their father because he made somewhat good money in construction and could teach them the trade.  I left without them. Then I turned to the bottle.  My heart and spirit so broken and in such despair that I could hardly face the day sober. But those days are behind me now.  God has blessed me with a new life, some good friends and though I get down at times, I always remember to stay in today and be grateful for the life I've had. Somehow in later life we look back and realize how much we have learned and life slows down and projects itself like a beautiful sunset and we know that we are that much closer to God and going home.