Seeing Red, Seeing Me

By Susan Bennett

I am a walking contradiction. I’m a small-town girl raised in Orleans Nebraska, population of about 350 people when I was there now living in Gold Canyon Arizona, population about 15,000 just outside of Phoenix, population just shy of 1.7 million. I’ve gone from learning to drive on dirt roads to driving on freeways. I love Jesus, but I cuss a little. I have a degree in Elementary Education but have been out of the classroom for almost 25 years, done a lot of things in between to only now be back working in an elementary school, but this time in the office.

Hi, my name is Susan. I’m a German/Irish redhead who has lived a life. I grew up in an “Ozzie and Harriet” type of farm family with two parents that loved each other and four siblings, three sisters and one brother.

As a young, bright-eyed teenager leaving the farm, I had a goal, a plan and I knew where my life was going. Turns out the road wasn’t as straight as I thought it would be. There have been lots of twists and turns, dips in the road and huge potholes. The setbacks were hard. I grieved and thought I may not survive, but I did. Fortunately, all those unexpected routes that my life took me on also brought me to some beauty that I may not have otherwise experienced.

I was married young and widowed young. I was remarried for 21 years and then divorced. I started living a truly single life in my fifties-including dating . . . . ewww. I have three grown children, two sons and a daughter and four grandchildren, three boys and a girl. If I dipped into giving you all the details of my life, it would sound a little bit like the plot for a telenovela. The hard times could have left me bitter and broken, but I have chosen to work through the hard parts and be grateful for the life I have. After all, it has brought me to right here where I am today, right where I’m supposed to be.

So, going back to beginning and being a contradiction. The title of this column is “Seeing Me, Seeing Red”. You might think reading that, that this is going to verge on the negative. After all, “seeing red” is usually associated with being angry, right? Just the opposite. “Red” is a nickname bestowed upon me years ago by my father-in-law who I love dearly (himself a redhead). It was meant to tease that young, naïve girl, but it has stuck with me for over forty years. I’m OK with that. So, as you read my column, you will see me. I hope to take you on a journey of gratitude with some humor and occasional sarcasm thrown in. I want to make you think, but I also hope it will make you laugh and be grateful. Buckle up. It’s going to be quite a ride.