About Me

My name is Marlene. I am the mother of two. Grandmother of four. Wife of one. Mother-in-law to two. Sister to five guys. Sister of five girls. Daughter of two. Granddaughter of four.

I am the guardian of one. Sister-in-law to 14. Aunt of 21 nieces, nephews, and their spouses. Great-aunt to 40 and counting. Friend to many, and child of the Most High God.

I have more than 30 aunts, uncles. And greats – too many to count. I love the fact that I have 44 first cousins, all of whom I happily claim.  

My second and third cousins number in the hundreds. Then there is my husband’s side of the family, which is equally as large as mine.

I have been fortunate enough to have worked as a registered nurse in home health and hospice services where I met many wonderful people. I reconnected with family friends and even high school friends while taking care of one of their family members. It really was a great experience.

I stepped away from nursing a number of years ago when a friend asked me to go to work as a rep for a credit card processing company. So off I went to learn that industry.

I am still employed as a sales and service independent contractor for DC Merchant Services – a company with a few bragging rights. It has been a fun venture.

Life changed quickly when my mother passed away at the sweet age of 92. My brothers and sisters and I are now taking care of our youngest brother, Steven, who has Down syndrome. He is fairly easy to care for because he loves his alone time.

Steven rides his bike to the store and to community events. He does a little reading and likes to sing – to himself or for others. He especially loves to hold babies.

He has been a Special Olympian for more than 45 years. He has always been a basketball show-off and has been known to call for his own standing ovation after he makes a three-pointer.

Those who live in our small community have also stepped up to help us care for him; they love him as much as we do.  

My mother was a writer for her hometown newspaper. She was interested in history, and she combined that with her human interest stories.

My parents left an estate full of newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and many items that gave me  something to write about. I started sharing short stories with friends and family, and eventually the stories ended up on Facebook.

My original intention was to write a book of family stories – but I was encouraged to put a website together – so here it is!

You could say I am into all things “natural.” I overcame insomnia as well as a few additional health issues by studying natural approaches to a truly healthy lifestyle. I do my best to live in what I now refer to as the “natural world,” and I have found it’s a great place to be.

I lead Proactive Wellness discussion groups in my community. We enjoy our Ladies’ Day TEA, which stands for Teaching, Encouraging, and Aiding each other in a holistic lifestyle. We invite speakers from area businesses and organizations whom we know are doing a good job promoting and teaching wellness.

The cover photo includes a picture of some of the board games my family has played over the years. I laugh when I think that most health-related conversations tread into subjects that are “taboo.”

I’ve been told that anyone who is into the “natural stuff” can sure speak a lot of “balderdash” – which means senseless talk or writing. Many of us played the game of Trouble when we were children, and speaking about the natural world can certainly land us in hot water.

The subject of wellness and what really makes us ill is a fascinating subject. I love to hear recovery stories and write about wellness, but writers are not legally free to share recovery stories.

Someday soon, I’m sending a few books to the printing press. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading my stories, poems, and prayers here on my dot com home page.

Please feel free to contact me at mpoxender@gmail.com

Thank you – Marlene Oxender