Every year around this time, this memory cracks me up all over again. 😂🤣Oh, the sweet moments we hold onto forever… It’s been 38 years since I divorced my children’s father on September 19, 1987 — and what I’m most grateful for is the life we lived during those formative years. Country living shaped my babies in ways a classroom never could. Because of those years… 🌾 My strong, multi-talented son, Michael, became the true “jack-of-all-trades Carpenter.” That boy can build a house from the ground up and do every single thing in between. 🌸 My beautiful daughter, Mishele, grew a green thumb so magical she can make anything bloom. Her knowledge of plants still blows me away. We chopped wood to heat our home — all five fireplaces of that big old antebellum house.We planted huge gardens, canned everything we grew (tomatoes, corn, green beans, salsa, jams — if it grew, we preserved it!).My husband and son hunted every season, and our freezer stayed stocked with venison and even squirrel. 💼 Small Town, Big Hustle During those years, we were living in the tiny farm town of Trenton, right outside my birthplace — Ft. Campbell, KY — near the border of Clarksville, TN. My husband had just lost his job when I noticed an empty Chevron gas station sitting right in the middle of that one-horse town. I called the Chevron jobber, he came to our home, interviewed us right there at our kitchen table… and the very next week, we were running a full-service gas station with a two-bay garage. My husband was in his element — he’d built his first car at 18 and had worked as a Ford Parts Manager and mechanic for years. He was either in the garage repairing vehicles or out on the farms fixing tractor tires and filling them with calcium. And me? Honey, I did EVERYTHING: ⛽ Pumped gas🧽 Cleaned windshields🔧 Checked oil & fluids📚 Did the books📦 Ordered all the parts The kids’ school was only one block away, so they’d walk over after school, do their homework, and help pump gas. We were open 7am–7pm, Monday through Saturday and closed only on Sundays.

I happened to be on a Zoom call one day with a dear friend that was in the same company as myself. She was showing us this beautiful "Kintsugi" gift she had received. She gave us a brief description of what that Japanese word meant. After the zoom call, I went to town researching everything I could find out about that beautiful word. Kintsugi's spiritual meaning centers on finding beauty and strength in imperfection and embracing the process of healing. It teaches that instead of hiding scars, which are proof of survival and resilience, they should be honored and celebrated as part of a person's unique story. This Japanese philosophy sees brokenness as a catalyst for growth, leading to a new and more beautiful version of oneself. @Meladee Ryba , you were my inspiration to write this series of booklets because of what you shared with us that day along with the meaning of kintsugi. Notice the cover of my books are pastels with broken lines filled with gold. That is the theme that runs throughout and what I based the series of 12 booklets on: FLAWED to FINESSE. Here is a pic of my books...

My mission in life — and in business — is to help as many people as possible build residual income and finally disconnect their time from their money so they can be truly free. 💰⏳✨ You can read my "Core Truth Revealed" in the photo below. But even more important than financial freedom…I want to remind people that everything we have — the money we earn, the opportunities we receive, the material things we enjoy — none of it really belongs to us. It all belongs to God. 🙌 We are simply stewards of His blessings. When we use what He’s given us to serve others, that’s where the real wealth begins. 💛 👉 What is your business mission? Share it in the comments below — I’d love to celebrate your purpose and passion! 🌟 I recently read a very enlightening book: Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible by Christopher M. Bellitto

🌿 No Ordinary Journey No one walks through life untouched. But the beauty of the journey is what we discover because of the storms, not in spite of them. I’ve faced more than my share of valleys — moments that broke me wide open — yet somehow, through faith, I found purpose in the pieces. Each setback became a stepping stone. Each loss revealed a deeper layer of strength I didn’t know I had. This part of my journey isn’t about perfection; it’s about perseverance. It's about choosing to rise again, no matter how many times life knocks you down. Because this — this life — was never meant to be ordinary. When I look back, I see how God orchestrated every moment — even the ones I didn’t understand. Writing this memoir has been a sacred process — not just remembering, but redeeming. Every memory, every scar, every miracle now fits into a greater story — His story through me. Why does it matter? Because your story and mine are threads in the same divine tapestry — woven with grace, resilience, and hope. If my words reach your heart, let them whisper this truth: You are not behind. You are becoming. And your life, too, is a story worth telling. 🌸

🌼 Beginning: A Message from Grandma Grady — Ageless Wisdom As I sit here on this beautiful morning on Long Island, I’m reflecting on the journey that brought me here — this season of peace, purpose, and creation. I can see now what I couldn’t always see before: Every joy, every heartbreak, every detour was preparing me for this. For years, I searched for meaning — trying to understand why life unfolded the way it did. But wisdom doesn’t arrive all at once; it’s gathered quietly along the way…in the lessons we learn when no one’s watching, the strength we find when we think we’ve run out, and the faith we cling to when the world doesn’t make sense. That’s the heart of Ageless Wisdom with Grandma Grady. 🌿 It’s not just a community — it’s a gathering of souls who know that life doesn’t end at 60, 70, or 80. It deepens, ripens, it gets truer. This space is where we celebrate that truth — where experience meets encouragement, and faith meets freedom. Where we remind each other that we are never too old to dream, to start again, or to make a difference. 💫 Stay tuned for Part 2 — “Your Story Still Matters” 💫 👉 Go to “Share My Story” to read mine and share your stories, too. Because together, we’re not just aging —we’re awakening. 🌸 — With love,Grandma Grady 🌿