My name is Jacqueline Louise Blanchard Gomez, but I go by Jacquie for short. What people tend to notice first about me is the tattoo on my forehead, then my smile. They are both hard to miss.

I’m a special blend of country and city folks. You see, my father, the eldest of seven children, grew up on a farm. My mother, an only child, grew up in a suburb of Chicago. They met at her summer job in a doughnut shop not far from the seasonal home her parents had. They fell for each other instantly, but my father had a hard and fast rule: he would not date a woman more than three times unless she was of the same faith as his. He was Lutheran. My mother was Catholic. She was intrigued by and attracted to a man who put so much importance in a person’s religious beliefs. So she explored his church’s doctrine, and eventually converted.

My parents married when my mother was 17 and my father was 24. They settled in Indiana. Her parents soon followed their only child, moving from the city to the country, from Catholicism to Lutheranism. Her father, my grandfather, became a church elder. Sunday would find my family in a front pew. More consistent than anything else in my life was that Sunday ritual.

Father did not preach. He lived his faith. He worked long, hard hours trying to make a good life for his growing family. He ran a gas station with mechanic service and 24 hour towing. We seldom saw him. No matter what was going on in his work however, he was there every Sunday to drive us to church. In his forties, to better provide for his family, he changed careers, attending college while simultaneously teaching vocational auto mechanic. As time went on, father also became a church elder. When he retired, he became active with the Gideons, delivering bibles wherever needed, among other things. He began visiting jails and witnessing for his faith. He was, and still is, a very important role model for our family, his life, a bright reflection on all his children.

My mother was the child-rearer and homemaker. Family was important to her. An only child, she found it challenging raising three children born within 4 years of each other. Since my father was almost never home due to work, she had no help with a very active household. She was also my father’s bookkeeper. Not until I became a mother myself, did I begin to understand her daily struggle. I am honored by her living example of the importance of family.

I was born in the shadow of Gary, Indiana, and grew up in a small-town atmosphere. My father was always trying to improve our living standards. As a result, my family moved every 2 to 4 years while I was a child, always within the same township. The second of the three children close in age, I became the peacemaker between a strong-willed older sister and a younger brother who refused to be “bossed around”. I learned to live alongside strong personalities, and the art and wisdom of compromise.

When I was 10, my mother had another daughter. Three years later my youngest sister was born. I took on the role of older sister willingly and found great satisfaction in playing with and teaching my younger siblings. I remember having great patience with them. I had great fun too. It was difficult to leave them behind when I moved on in life.

I began exploring life on my own as a young adult. I attended college for a year and lived with a family in exchange for household chores and child care. Then I moved out on my own, renting an apartment and working in a downtown office. I loved to live in cities because I could support myself with ease there. I also met so many people with such different ideas about life. It was fascinating and eye opening. I found that no matter where I was, my beliefs and expectations colored my world. I began to learn more of who I am.

I lived in Chicago, IL and Boston, MA, away from my hometown. Chicago’s gift to me was my first exposure to various cultures. Boston had the biggest impact due to the exposures to different philosophies. I began to explore other beliefs.

When I became a mother, I returned to my hometown to raise my daughter. I was amazed by the gift of a child and the joy of watching her grow. Parenting is the most challenging and rewarding undertaking I can imagine. I am now watching my daughter raising her own daughter. They are both beautiful creatures inside and out.

I needed a career to provide for my child. I choose nursing because it gave me the opportunities to help others, especially the sick and the helpless. I initially worked on a hospital cancer floor. Seeing people struggle with the process of end-of-life living taught me to cherish the relationships in my life rather than taking them for granted. That experience also strengthened my beliefs and my awareness of just how they define who I am.

My spiritual and self-discovery journey began when I was living in the city. I don’t remember exactly when I started to realize that I was no longer contemplating the world through the eyes of a Christian. I feel a stronger connection to a higher universal Spirit, the Creator of all that is pure and beautiful, that is abundant and love, that is life itself. My connection to the Creator allowed me to see life in a different light and everything started to make more sense. I had been trained from childhood to live my faith. I think I didn’t do any less by embracing this spiritual growth in my life. That is simply the Truth I had found in my heart.

I believe that symbols have power. My tattoos are symbols for spiritual growth. Mine is the seed for the flower of life. Like everything else in nature, it’s symmetrical, perfect and pure. Placing them on my body is the act of perpetual prayer for spiritual growth and enlightenment. It strengthens my connection to the Creator. I’m being led step by step in this journey and I am grateful.

I am now embarking on a new chapter and excited to begin it working at Community Hospital Anderson. I look forward to meeting lots of new and wonderful friends. You will recognize me by the smile on my face…oh yeah, and my tattoo!