Hi! I’m Lisa—and this is the story behind Lisa’s Life Lessons.
The Early Years
Born in Chicago and raised in its surrounding suburbs, my childhood unfolded within the challenging dynamics of a blended family. With a chronically depressed mother and an alcoholic stepfather, I often felt invisible in a household of nine children. As a middle child, I longed for acceptance but often felt lost in the crowd, where love and stability felt out of reach.
My teenage years were marked by deferred dreams of college and a search for belonging that led me into difficult choices and turbulent relationships. At 18, I left home, married young, and divorced nine years later.
Young Adulthood
Becoming a single parent to three small children became a turning point. Determined to break the patterns of my past, I returned to school while working and raising my family. Five years later, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Special Education.
By the early 2000s, my life began to take shape. I remarried, built a career as a learning behavior specialist, and went on to earn a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Administration. For the first time, life felt steady—and hopeful.
Hardship
But life shifted again. My second husband, whom I had been married to for less than two years, was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next three years, filled with hospital stays and uncertain hope, I watched as he lost his battle.
At the same time, my youngest son, Charlie, who had been diagnosed early in life with Neurofibromatosis, faced his own fight. What began as a spinal tumor eventually progressed into an aggressive brain tumor. Despite years of surgeries and pain, Charlie faced it all with remarkable courage.
On January 13, 2013, he passed away, leaving a loss no words can fully capture.
Joy Amidst Loss
In the midst of overwhelming loss, a light emerged. My first grandchild was born as Charlie’s prognosis became more serious. While no life can replace another, his arrival brought a sense of comfort during an otherwise heartbreaking time.
Charlie’s strength and resilience continue to stay with me. His life, and the way he lived it, remains a quiet source of inspiration.
Building a New Life
Grieving Charlie’s loss has been a long and ongoing process, but over time, I began to find my footing again. In 2015, I remarried. This relationship, like any, has had its challenges, but it reflects resilience and a willingness to keep moving forward.
Now retired from teaching and living in Northwest Ohio, I’ve come to appreciate a quieter way of life—time with family, especially my two grandsons, practicing yoga, writing, reading, and walking my dog, Athena
Present Day
Today, I continue to navigate the uncharted waters of life—learning, adjusting, and growing in ways I never expected. I’m still figuring things out, but I’ve learned to slow down, take a breath, and trust the process a little more than I used to.
Alongside writing, I teach English to students around the world and incorporate yoga into my everyday life. Both have become meaningful parts of my journey — ways of connecting, learning, communicating, slowing down, and living with greater intention.
If you’d like to learn more about these parts of my journey, you can explore them here on my Better Living page.
Through my blog, I share reflections from real life—how we communicate, how we move through challenges, and how we make sense of it all, one moment at a time. Read my latest reflection.