After our yougest of four children began school, I returned to work as a classroom teacher in the White Mountain Apache Head Start Program. A few years later I became the coordinator of several programs there. I then worked the remaining years as social worker in a public school and adult education instructor for Northland Pioneer College.

After I retired, we returned, for ten years, to Whiteriver to provide language assessments to the public schools there.

This was a remarkable experience for our family. We raised four children on the reservation and we and our children believe that this formed their lives in a very unique and valuable way.

Even though we no longer live there, our friendships and memories with the Apache people will last a lifetime.

The Apache’s are a proud and loving people, wanting to improve themselves and their tribe, even though the tribe, as a whole, is struggling.

We now are enjoying our children and thirteen grandchildren and are involved in community service, discussion groups and loving life.

Making the decision to live on a reservation has molded our life, our philosophy of mind/body connections and our faith in many ways.

We feel very blessed that we lived a very unique life and are grateful for the opportunity that few have experienced.