00:00:01.840 - 00:00:26.899

But This is Jenna Barry at the Medford Public Library on July 19th, 2024 with Kelly Hanson, talking about her sense of identity in Medford. Sense of identity. This is something that's relatively new to me. I mean, I never really thought of giving myself an identity. I

00:00:26.899 - 00:00:51.419

am who I am. Um, I am. What am I? I'm a woman, I am a mother. Um, I'm a divorced woman. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, which is probably the core of my identity, not probably, which is the core of my identity, and everything else

00:00:51.419 - 00:01:13.620

surrounds that. That's very important to me, to who I am and to how I relate to other people. Um, were you raised in the faith? I was. I am the youngest of 8 children, all of us raised by a single mother, divorced woman, um. And she.

00:01:15.410 - 00:01:32.160

Had a very strong faith and was a very strong woman to raise a children by herself. Um, And we would go 45 minutes 3 times a week back and forth to our meetings. People used to call us Make Way for Ducklings because they would see her

00:01:32.160 - 00:01:57.639

trailing down the street with her 8 children behind her. But it was that. Strength and that faith and that. That identity, that core identity of being on the Jehovah's Witnesses that raised. 8 strong children who. Loved people And loved talking to people about their faith, not

00:01:57.639 - 00:02:13.229

forcing it on anybody because we're not going to force it on anybody, but we enjoy talking to people, you know, people who have an interest in spiritual things want to know about the Bible. And we're more than willing to share that with them, you know, because

00:02:13.229 - 00:02:30.470

I mean, look at the world around us. With all the bad news, isn't it great to hear some good news once in a while, you know, of better things to come. So I raised my children the same way, and my boys are very happy. And they

00:02:30.470 - 00:02:53.750

have met wonderful women who also share their faith, which is very important because, you know, the more compatible you are. The better marriage you're gonna have. So, um. Being a mother has been. One of the single greatest joys of my life. I have two wonderful kids.

00:02:54.899 - 00:03:15.619

Um, I was A worker. I was defined as a type A personality because I worked in a law firm. Uh, full time and then came home and ran a business at night out of our house, my husband and I. And I loved to work and I,

00:03:15.740 - 00:03:36.630

I still, I miss it a lot because I, while at the law firm, I was diagnosed with first chronic fatigue syndrome and then later lupus and. They basically had to tell me to go home because I wasn't going anywhere I wanted to work. Um, and to

00:03:36.630 - 00:03:52.350

this day I'm still telling, you know, my doctors when they get it right, I'm going back to work and they're like, OK, you're 60 now, it's time to stop living that particular dream, and I'm like, no, because I'm a worker and that's who I am. Um,

00:03:52.570 - 00:04:10.929

and I raised my boys to be workers. Yeah. And to enjoy it, you know, not to look at it as drudgery, it's not drudgery to work. You know, having a job, having a purpose, being productive, giving back, all of that is really important, you know, and

00:04:11.020 - 00:04:32.779

one of the major ways they give back. Is by teaching people that, you know what the Bible really says and they. Put their life into that because that's what's important, you know. Um, but they're also very well rounded. You've met my boys, and you know Josh

00:04:32.779 - 00:04:53.369

is very into athletics and although with his broken shoulder, he's kind of had to. Back off of that. Pete's always been athletic. Both of them were in gymnastics when they were young. And the people encourage them to get a coach. Um, but their interests went in

00:04:53.369 - 00:05:16.679

other directions. You know, they both computer. I wanna say literate, but there's gotta be a better word for that because I feel like I live in the cockpit of a 747. Um, All of that contributes to my identity, I think, you know, who, who my kids

00:05:16.679 - 00:05:35.529

are, who they grow up to be, because I had to be the one to give them. That comfort zone where they could find out who they were. And that's why I chose to homeschool them. I, when Peter was in, I think Peter went to 5th grade,

00:05:35.619 - 00:05:52.630

Josh went to 2nd. But at the time we didn't know Josh had ADHD, but I knew he was a kinetic child. He could not sit still and learn. So the first thing I did was I got him a rolling chair. And once he wasn't tied to

00:05:52.630 - 00:06:18.869

that. Non-movement. He flourished. Of course, Josh had. Obstacles to overcome because he had hearing problems when he was born. And so he had to have a series of operations. But he was strong all the way through. And we, you know, when I saw my dyslexic tendencies

00:06:18.869 - 00:06:41.690

in him, we used the same tools that I used growing up. To help him Achieve whatever it was he was interested in. Um, So I guess that's another part of me. I'm dyslexic. My mother was dyslexic, my son is dyslexic. So we all, but one of

00:06:41.690 - 00:06:59.359

the greatest things that I think I ever found at the library. Was a book that said. The gift of dyslexia. You know, it, it wasn't a disability, you know, and when I started looking at it that way, it helped me even further because it was my

00:06:59.359 - 00:07:17.160

10th grade teacher who found out that I was dyslexic. And so it helped me help him. To see that you know this is not a disability for you. This is a gift that you can use to achieve great things, you know. And once he started looking

00:07:17.160 - 00:07:32.630

at it that way, it became. Flip the narrative. Yeah, it was just so much more. I, you know, I, the very first time I watched him, he picked up a piece of silicone, and he was just, you know, I figured he was playing with it, and

00:07:32.630 - 00:07:50.390

he said, Look, Mom, and he held up a wail. And I just, how did you do that without even thinking? And I said, you know what, that's the artistic side of you, that's the dyslexic side of you. I said, that's your gift. You know, And He

00:07:50.390 - 00:08:13.809

helped other kids. To see that what other people saw as disabilities. They could see as a gift. And that was something really special about. Having those kids raising those kids gave me purpose because when I couldn't work anymore. They gave me a reason to get up

00:08:13.809 - 00:08:34.989

in the morning, and I could get up in the morning. In those days I couldn't, they came to me, you know, but Having that sense of purpose. Kept me alive and doing the things that I was doing and you know, compelled me to, you know, keep,

00:08:35.039 - 00:08:47.429

keep making my meetings and and and doing my study and my reading and so forth and so on, um. And it made me pretty much the person I am.