Linda WAs she sees it, it was against all odds that Linda W. graduated from high school through the vehicle of an alternative school and overcame addiction at a young age. She joined the Army Reserves at twenty-five and was honorably discharged eight years ater. Shortly after joining the military, she started a carpenter apprenticeship program, eventually becoming a journeyman, and in the process met her future husband, who is truly her life's partner and soulmate. They eventually both became contractors and built a few houses together before the market fell out, though they have never stopped working to restore their hundred-year-old home. Over the years they have had many adventures and recently celebrated twenty-seven years together. In time, the strain of continual hard labor caught up with Linda, requiring her to switch to a new career. She started collecting antiques and eventually began a small business selling collectibles in an antiques mall, which she has enjoyed doing for seventeen years. She is disabled now, but spends her days keeping up her home, working in her garden, and enjoying her wide variety of antiques and collectibles. She and her husband have rescued several cats over the years and support multiple animal charities. In addition, Linda has been a successful practitioner of Buddhism for more than ten years. Contrary to all her expectations, she has lived a life worth living, having maintained thirty-six years of recovery from drugs and alcohol, which she sees as her greatest accomplishment-because without it she wouldn't have had any of the rest of her genuinely wonderful life. Read More Read Less