When
her husband, Richard, accepted a principal scientist position with Westinghouse
in Carlsbad, her life changed drastically.
Linda not only left a 26-year career, she left a familiar place, family and friends. Once in Carlsbad, she soon learned that her chances of employment in her field of expertise – technical writing – were remote at best.
Job-hunting was an uphill climb with disappointment at the top, like many other wives who left careers for their husbands’ employment transfers. As the months passed, she was unsuccessful in obtaining employment, leaving her depressed and feeling unproductive.
Rather than give into despair, Linda pursued a longtime dream of creating a product that would help others document a legacy for their family, one she often wished her great-great-grandmother had left her. With a plan and her husband’s support, Linda designed a padded leather-like album binder, burgundy or navy blue, with gold foil stamping, brass hardware and silk moiré lining called “A Legacy to Remember.”
End of Excerpt
The church that Linda and her husband attended in Washington had several "small groups" within it. They had been part of that and when they moved, it was the camaraderie and companionship they missed most. When coming to Carlsbad, NM, they discussed the idea with their new pastor who quickly gave them the OK to develop it. The concept was well received and grew quickly. While Linda and Richard were looking to meet couples their own age, they were sent seniors, with lovely stories that they were excited to tell.
During this time Linda’s cousin had traced their family’s genealogy back to the 1700s. As Linda looked at her lineage, she was completely enthralled. She thought of how very special it would be to have something her great-great-grandmother had written, to tell them about her life, generations later. For several days, she continued to think about her ancestors, and what life must have been like for them so many years ago. She wondered what each one’s character was like and wished so much that they had taken the time to write a letter to their heirs.
She knew she wanted to leave a legacy to her daughters some day and she wanted to do it in a special kind of “love letter” format. She wanted to tell them about her life’s lessons, from struggles to triumphs, in an open and touching way. All of these thoughts and the wonderful people in their new church group opened her ears to the inner voice saying, “this is why you are here…you have been given your own special abilities and it is now time to discover them and move forward.”
Linda now sees things in a more spiritual sense. She found that materialism didn’t bring her satisfaction. There was a hunger for something deeper now. In describing her spirit she quotes Reinhold Neibuhr who said, “Man cannot be whole unless he be committed. He cannot find himself unless he find a purpose beyond himself.” Another quote Linda has is from Alan Alda and this definitely defines her life now and her creation of A Legacy to Remember®, “Be brave enough to live creatively. The creative place is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your initiation. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work, risking and by not quite knowing what you’re doing. What you’ll discover will be wonderful: yourself.”
