I was so homesick in 1984 that I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. All I wanted to do was close my eyes, click my heels and go home, not to Kansas but to my relatives and friends in Toledo, Ohio (Home of the Toledo Mud Hens). This is where I was born and raised for over 30 years. No one in my immediate or extended family had ever moved outside the state lines of Ohio, so I didn’t have anyone to talk to about making an adjustment to a new culture. No one had any advice for me, only tears as we parted. Talk about separation anxiety!I didn’t know a soul in Miami when we moved here, not a single person outside of my husband and two small children. I would wonder how I would make it through another day without a friend to talk to about things we had in common. Our youngest daughter had just started kindergarten, so I decided to become a school volunteer. That worked for a year until we made the decision to move from Perrine to Davie, Florida. Now I had to start all over again but this time I felt like I was ready to attack the problem, instead of becoming a victim. The first thing I did was join the PTA. The next thing I knew I was politically active in bringing a new elementary school into Davie. And then I became the first PTA President of Silver Ridge Elementary. When I noticed that there weren’t any nearby parks for my children to play in Davie I headed up a PAC (Politcal Action Committee) promoting a bond issue, the first of it’s kind in Davie, to raise money for Parks and Recreation. That was the beginning of my love for where I live, back in the late 1980’s, when the only restaurant in the town was the Hitching Post on Davie Rd. and I-595 wasn’t built yet. Back then there was still time to preserve land in Davie, so I joined the Open Space Committee and worked to promote the purchase of land for future generations to enjoy as passive parks and trails. As that Bond Issue passed I felt that I had made a stake for myself and my family. In fact, I loved living in Davie so much that I decided to let others in on the secret. That’s when I got my real estate license. Now, after almost 20 years of being a Realtor I have helped many others who have felt those pangs of homesickness. I realize, now, that I had to go through all the trials and tribulations of finding my way in order to understand the feelings of the people that I help every day. Whether they are moving here or moving away, I can relate to the mixed emotions they have. I believe that everyone has a purpose in life and I have been lucky enough to find mine through a career that has been both exhilarating and challenging and I thank God everyday that I have this opportunity.
