What are your thoughts on aging?

I feel that aging is part of life with a lot of new experiences. However, I did not think it would come this fast. To tell you the truth, I still feel that I am a young woman at heart with a lot more experience in life and can do a lot of things that I use to enjoy in my youth. I think the world's perception of aging especially for women is different. Sometimes as an older woman, I feel like we are forgotten and that we are invisible. It seems to me that all the beauty products are geared to keep our youth. The world portrays older women as wrinkled and out of shape. I would like to think that the older one gets, the more beautiful and wiser one becomes.

Since the passing of my husband, I have learned to become independent again. I married and became a mother at an early age and did not do anything for myself because my time was committed to serving my family and work.

This is a new phase of my life which I have come to love and embrace. I have an appreciation of learning to love myself more and focusing on caring for me without feeling guilty.

How is your age group relevant?

My age group is relevant because we have life's experience and wisdom.

Younger women, might think that it's scary getting older. What wonderful things can women look forward to at your age?

Some things to look forward to when you get to my age is a feeling of accomplishment and peace. Your children are grown and have children of their own. I am set in my career and have years of experience under my belt. As a young girl, I wanted to be an adult and time seem to past by slowly. Now that I am older time is just flying by.

Share tips on how you celebrate yourself, what you do for fun, and self care.

It is important to love one self. Take care of you. We need to treat ourselves kindly. Spend time with yourself, have a date with yourself, eat your favorite food, go on hikes. In order to love others you must learn how to love yourself.

Share one experience or piece of advice that would lift other women up and empower them. 

It is also better to be kind than right!

Have integrity in all that you do. Do the right thing when no one is watching!

Do not compare yourself to others. Be kind and respectful to all you meet.

What would you tell your 14-year-old self? 

You are a beautiful person!
You are loved!

Who inspired you as a little girl? Who inspires you now? 

My mother and father have inspired me because they were selfless people. They were always there for me and were good examples of selfless people.

What was your greatest challenge and how did you overcome it? 

My greatest challenge was finding out my father was not my biological father at the age of 15 yrs old. I kept that secret until I was a young mother and the day my father died. I wanted to know if he was going to treat me differently, but he did not. People would say to my father, "Your daughter has your smile!" and he would respond by saying, "I know she does!" My father was a loving man and treated me with kindness and loved me the same as my half siblings.

What is your definition of success? 

My relationship with my husband Van and my eight children. I put my career on pause to be able to be with them until they all went to school.  That was the best time of my life.

There is a saying, "No success can compensate for failure in the home."

What is the best advice you have been given? 

It is better to be kind than right!