In her post-retirement years, Suzy discovered an untapped talent and has used that talent to help improve the lives of at-risk girls.

Suzy had a fulfilling 28-year career as a first grade and drama teacher at the Agnes Irwin School in Rosemont, PA.

During the last three years of her teaching career, Suzy faced some health challenges that limited her mobility. During her recovery period, she began to write, eventually completing a book of poetry.

A sample of her work is on the next slide.

THE QUILT
My life is like the old patchwork quilt
Folded neatly at the end of my bed.
Each patch is sewn into my heart.

Some squares are yellow and brilliant in color,

Youthful escapades; rock concerts, beach parties,
Meeting my soulmate and knowing it.
Our wedding day; the sun broke through at three o'clock.
Our first child and then our second,
Watching grandchildren build castles in the sand.

Other squares are grey with sadness at the edges.

The stormy evening our old tom cat died,
Empty rooms vacated by beloved children,
Off to find their future.
The night my father died was hot and humid,
And the deep sadness clung.

There are patches in muted tones of blue and lavender.

Walking the beach alone, or with a friend,
Holding a new baby,
Listening to a songbird,
Seeing a Crocus poke its head above the winter ground.
Traveling far and coming home,
Saying a prayer,
Knowing God's love.

These pieces are sewn together,
Through the years to shape my life.

I try to remember,
From time to time,
To wrap the old quilt around me
And feel the richness in each square.

Shortly after her retirement, a friend of Suzy's asked her to take a painting class with her at the Wayne Art Center. Although she had a lifelong dream of being an artist, in Suzy's words, her only prior experience with art was creating bulletin boards in her classroom.

She decided to give it a try and soon discovered that she had an untapped gift for painting.

Suzy says that value, composition, proportion and placement on the canvas are the most important aspects of creating art. She says that once she understood those elements, her paintings came from her soul.

Suzy sold her first painting in 2006 when she was on a trip to Alaska and a fellow tourist asked to buy one of her paintings.

She then took the next step forward as an artist and submitted three paintings to the Delaware Valley Art League. She was juried in as an artist, while allowed her to offer paintings for sale in the show. Since then she has been in several art shows and has sold many paintings. However, she stresses that she does not paint for money; she paints because she loves it.

In 2008, Suzy won the Purchase Prize for the Penn Radnor Show sponsored by the Delaware Valley Art League. Her winning painting is now hanging at PennMedicine in Bryn Mawr.

Around this time, she also found that she missed working with children. Through her church -- St. Davids Episcopal -- Suzy joined the founding committee of an after-school program for at-risk girls in grades 2nd through 4th. The program, offered at St. Augustine's Church in Norristown, provides homework support, exposure to the arts, busing to the program, a full meal and a safe place with caring adults. The goal of the program is to improve the girls' self-esteem and sense of self.

While volunteering in the St. Augustine's program, Suzy published the book of her poetry she had written previously. It is entitled "The World Around Us". She painted the cover illustration at left. The book was sold as a fundraiser for the program and helped to bring in much needed funds.

Suzy feels that each rough period she has gone through in life has brought her unexpected gifts. If she hadn't had the medical issues that caused her to slow down, she probably would not have become an author which ultimately gave her the ability to contribute the proceeds from her book to the St. Augustine's program.

Suzy and her husband, Sam, have been married for 53 years. They are seen here visiting the Pyramids. They enjoy traveling all over the world together. Once a month they volunteer together at a feeding ministry. They are very involved at St. Davids Episcopal Church. Suzy is trained as a Stephen minister and served in that capacity for several years helping individuals going through difficult times. After a recent break, she is considering serving once again.

Suzy and Sam also enjoy spending time with their two sons, Chris and Jamie, and the extended family.

As she reflects on what has allowed her to lead such an extraordinary life, Suzy suggests that the way to feed your spirit is to follow your heart. She thinks of each day as a blank canvas and plans how she will fill each day.

If you are interested in seeing more of Suzy's work, please visit http://suzywas.wixsite.com/paintings.

Many thanks to Suzy Wasson for sharing her story with us.