I am 63 years old and the mother of 8 children and soon to be grandmother of 12 grandchildren. I was born and raised on a farm in Central Illinois, being the oldest daughter in a family of 9 children. I graduated from Nokomis High School with honors and from Springfield College in Illinois with honors. I also attended Kaskasia College and studied nursing. I was a stay at home mother and I have been a frequently published letter writer to the St. Journal Register and Catholic Times in Springfield, Illinois.