For Judith, it still comes as a surprise that she can go out her front door and in a 5 minute walk, be on the beach. Has it really been 22 years since she made the decision to make this island her home? As a teacher of children for almost all of that time in a culture drastically different from the one she grew up in, she has learned, lived, and found joy in ways she never knew before. Imagine the healing power of the sun’s warmth every month of the year! As she walks, the smiles of those she meets matches that warmth. Never tiring of looking at the ocean, for Judith this activity is a meditation. Writing is a third career for Judith. She has been a successful educator, teacher, and learning coach, and before that, a clinical dietician and food service director. Although she has always written in some form all her life, dedicating serious time to her dream of being a writer has only just begun. There is a novel waiting to be revisited and many short stories she wants to bring to life. Her first published book is the story of how she travelled from a cold life in the north to a place where life would be warm and one in which she could finally be true to herself. Judith hopes, that in sharing her memoir, her experiences and discoveries will help others to also find and follow a path to a life of real joy at last. Judith lives with her husband and two comical and much loved Chihuahuas in a small community on the north coast of the Dominican Republic.