Linn County Planning Department: Fill & Download for Free

Multiples, “We knew you were not worth the effort, when you were two, ” my father's ‘support’, when I was in my thirties, and in the middle of a divorce.”Tshln hated us, from the moment, she was born.“ first words my mother said, to my husband, upon meeting him !! (Since when does a new born hate anything? But, as my parents wanted a boy, and I wasn't, the hate was their's. )“Should have left you on the street corner.” (I was from Florida. My family and friends were there. This was in California, and I was 4 years old.)Ran away at four, in Monterey, CA, to escape the beatings. A nun found me. wandering the streets alone. I could have been snagged by a paedophile. Thank God, I wasn't.Despite this “parenting”, I went on to get many degrees, licenses, and certs. And lived an interesting, and useful life.Never got into any serious trouble, was multi lingual; and at 22 years old, was a Purser, In Flight Supevisor, for Pan American World Airline. This started my drive to succeed.I incorporated, lobbied, fund raised, planned, built, a rescue squad in MD, in Chesapeake Bay area; while running on another, Rescue Squad; while also working as CRT, and AAMA, in the County Hospital's ICU, and ER, on the Code Blue Team.Was a highly trained, John's Hopkins U., Med Star, EMS Med Center trained EMT, with advanced college credits in Triage, Mass Casualties Management, and Crisis Intervention.Such ratings, and certs., became the basis for advanced paramedics’ certification for the State.One of five people, to develop, incorporate, and sit on; the first Reparative Board in the Nation. Got a Presidential Citation for the work,(Community Sentencing of Adjudicated Felons)Was Analyst for a Nuke Power Plant, in New England; and developed new, interactive engineering programs, for all Engineering Departments, and Configuration Managemen. Direct boss. was VP of Engineering. My charge was to ID looming engineering problems, white tags, smoothout, shorten refueling outages, and head off repeated SCRAMS, and nasty Incidents. I did. My reports were used to sell the plant to Entergy, and were the required documentation to State, Federal, International Nuke regulatory agencies.I was smart, accomplished, multi degreed, pretty; but I was not male; so to my parents, not worth shit.I should have grown up bitter, twisted, angry, self destructive, alcoholic, drug addicted, sexually intemperate… I was none of these.Illogically, I was kind, gentle. strong, focused, determined, and productive. Why? It was truly God's Graces, not mine.Who I am, what I can do, did, what I looked like, are gifts from God. As was the determination, to prove my parents wrong, that I was, worth a life. This self worth, was also a gift.Otherwise, I would have been an axe murderer. I easily could have turned into a twentieth century Lizzie Borden. Instead I spent most of my life, helping other people. All, because of God's graces.And it has brought joy, peace, satisfaction, contentment, and Thanksgiving.