I was a naive college dropout with two divorces under my belt, three kids to raise and almost no money in the bank. Even I wouldn't have bet on me to turn my life around. I'm still puzzled as to whether I was driven by anger, competitiveness or simply a will to overcome my many obstacles. Probably it was a combination of all three. I do recall that when I felt like crying I had to pretend that a joke was being played on me and that I had to turn the tables on my adversary -- whoever or whatever it was. I wanted things my mother never dared to wish for and I wanted my path to happiness to be laden with goodies. A higher education was to be the key to my future, for I was a second generation child of an aspiring American family. What meaning would you give to the phrase "Having it all" as it relates to a woman's life? As for me, I have generally embraced my own favorite categories of success, although not always in the order that made sense, because I frequently did things backwards! My "Big Five" were: 1) Marriage, (2) Children, (3) Career, (4) Financial security; and (5) Good health. People told me I was out of my mind to think I could work full-time, go to school full-time and run a household as a single parent with three young children. I told my dissenters that I had everything under control! Sure I did, like kids always obey, money always comes in and employers fall at an educated woman's feet. I had some control of my situation, but was naive as to my future difficulties. Eventually, I learned that worthwhile marriages are often elusive; the bearing and successful rearing of children isn't a guarantee; a full-fledged career competes with the first two; financial security can escape in a heartbeat as external events occur; and the enjoyment of good health is often a roll of the dice. The joker is always out there to gum up one's plans. Nevertheless, I have concluded that the secret of life success is embodied in the devoted pursuit of one's dreams -- it is the odyssey itself. If one cannot enjoy the trip, then what's the purpose of beginning the ride? That is what this book is about.
About the Author: Lea Hope Becker has been involved in various writing projects since her teens, but has only in the last few years started writing book-length works for the purpose of publication. Her first published book, entitled: "I PROMISE TO KEEP QUIET (AFTER I'M DEAD)" was released for sale in October, 2008. She now has two other published titles in the humorous memoir genre. "I PROMISE TO STAY MARRIED (THIS TIME)" was published in July, 2011. "CHILDREN, I'M HOME!" is her latest published work. She also writes humorous verses, most of which are reflections of senior life, and has amassed a compilation of over forty selections. Ms. Becker is by profession a tax attorney, licensed in Illinois and New York, with a concentration in income tax. She is also a licensed Florida Family Mediator and currently lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, with her husband, who is a retired book illustrator and animation artist. Lea holds an undergraduate degree from DePaul University and a law degree from DePaul Law School. She also attended classes at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and Columbia College in Chicago. She is an active senior and continues to work part-time, as well as pursue her writing. She is fascinated with the study of science, psychology, art and nature. A key change in her life occurred when she remarried and moved to upstate New York after years of being a single working mom. Her husband was her high school sweetheart and he was a widower living in Ulster County who had become a passionate country living outdoorsman, while Lea had been a long-term city girl with most of her social and professional ties to Chicago. Although Ms. Becker's humorous memoirs appear to be lighthearted on the surface, there is considerable psychological introspection in her work, since she is a survivor of a difficult childhood and has had to adapt to technological and lifestyle changes which span three generations.