2Psalm 127:1a Unless the LORD build the house, they labor in vain who build. This is the story of my journey of faith. I am a cradle Catholic who grew up with God, family and community as the moral compass points in my life, in a small town where everyone knew each other. I conflated obeying God with obeying parents and cultural norms, until I ventured out into the world. Sadly, I married outside the Church, my faith and culture, all of which taught marriage is forever. God was ever calling me back to my faith, immature and unschooled as it was, but the world tugged in another direction and I stayed frozen in the situation. With a clear promise from God that He would not leave me orphan, I took a leap of faith and left with my two children. With God at its center, my life has been an incredible journey of learning to grow in faith and do His work. The Angels that surround me re-anchor me. This is my personal response to God. I leave you, the reader enough room to build your own response. That you are reading this book is the reason God was prompting me to share it. Belza Elia Ramos was born in 1940 in Saline o, TX, and grew up in Corpus Christi. There she pursued her dream of being a nurse. Her life is full of "firsts" as a Hispanic woman, with few Hispanic women role models. She writes to encourage others to be resilient, have faith in God and themselves. Past experiences often help forge new careers. She enjoys being with family and she is looking forward to her first great-granddaughter Writing with the hindsight of an adult helps her understand life better and she gets to laugh and cry all over again