For this assignment I sat down with my former boss and personal friend for over four

years. She is 60 years old and wouldn’t have ever guessed that, nor do most people that when

they first learn her age. I felt that she was a really good person to interview because she is

someone that I look up to who gives good advice and is honest. I knew she went to church a lot

and mentioned God in conversation sometimes, but I truly learned a lot about her and connected

with her through this assignment. She split her life into five chapters: birth to high school

graduation, high school graduation to passing her pharmacy boards, passing the boards to getting

married (a very short chapter), getting married to Heights Pharmacy closing (a very long

chapter), and Heights Pharmacy closing to present day. The way she broke down her life was

very similar to chapter three’s major milestones and their steppingstones. Her first chapter

consisted of childhood and adolescents, the second being young adult, and the last couple as

adult, middle and nearing elderly. The best way to describe her family dynamic would be her

mother as the matriarch. Even at 60 years old her mom will still tell her true feelings and

opinions. I came to understand that losing her father at the age of 38 is what made her mother

the center of their family. After talking about such a big loss in her life, she went on to tell me

about her best joys in life, her husband and the births of her nieces and nephews. She uses her

family to help give her life purpose. The topic of doubt was discussed in the readings, this part

of the conversation was really the only time she displayed doubt in her faith. She questions her

purpose and meaning in life a lot but uses her family as guidance in her trying times. She went

on to give the example that if her nephew was never in the band, then he would’ve never met my

best friend who went onto work at the pharmacy and if she never started working at pharmacy,

then she would’ve never introduced us. I found the way she used her family to give her hope to

resemble that of Elizabeth Seton. Seton loved her family so much that they greatly influenced
her work in life. Much like Seton, my former boss uses difficult times in her life as motivators to

become a more spiritually guided person. Some of these religious roots came from attending a

catholic elementary school. She believes her biggest religious achievements were her baptism,

first communion, confirmation, and marriage. She regularly attends services at church with her

family and sometimes goes several times a day with her husband as well. As for prayer, she

speaks with God numerous times a day whether it be during service or privately. During this

time, she collects her thoughts and communicates with God. To further connect herself

religiously she has recently been reading a passage from the bible every morning and reflecting

upon it throughout the day. In conclusion, she believes you only get what you pay for, the work

you put in reaps the rewards, nothing is ever free, and if it sounds too good to be true then it

probably is.