Page 42 - Senior Link Magazine Spring 2022 - Online Magazine

2
Admiration
for
Susan Fain
Schumacher
e (teens) are constantly
asked what we want
Wto be when we grow
up. We associate the answer to
that question with our future
careers, what we want to do for
a living. However, the question
asks what we want to be, not do.
As a society, we have turned a
blind eye to the importance of
character. We love to promote
the concept of being yourself
and finding out who you are;
however, that doesn’t pay the
bills unless you can fit your
answer into a list
of skills that are
optimal for an
office job.
As a senior,
I have one
question to face
as I take the next
step in life – who
am I going to be
when no one is
hovering around
telling me who
I’m supposed
to be? I have no
way of knowing for sure; all I can
hope is that I’ve had good enough
influences in my life never to
worry about falling off the deep
end. I am lucky enough to have
met and grown in life with such
a person. My grandmother is
42 Lubbock Senior Link
by Anna Kizer
one of the most kind-hearted
and genuine people I know; I
hope, one day, to become half the
woman that she is.
Susan Marie Fain grew up in
several oilfield towns in West
Texas and New Mexico. She's the
oldest child and was raised with
her two younger brothers. Her
grandmother, Granny Row, was
a praying woman. She prayed
all her life for her husband to
come to know Jesus,
and he finally did at
age 60. Granny Row's
daughter, Bonnie
Joann, was Susan's
mom, who was also a
God-fearing woman,
raising Susan and her
brothers to serve the
Lord with all their
hearts.
When Susan turned
back to the Lord after
her first marriage,
He blessed her with
a devoted Christian man. Susan
and Lynn Schumacher have
raised their four children to serve
the Lord, leading by example.
Lynn served as a prison chaplain
for almost 20 years, and Susan
served right alongside him in
Senior
Senior
ministry outreach to inmates’
wives and children.
I grew up with an amazing,
close-knit family. As the oldest
grandchild on my mom’s
side, I grew quite close to my
grandparents. That connection
has only grown stronger as I’ve
gotten older. From the time I
could stand, my grandmother let
me help her in the kitchen, and
she always played cards with me.
Now, I can’t leave a visit without
playing Go Fish or Crazy8s.
When I began exploring my own
interests, she did not hesitate
to support and encourage me. I
spent many Christmases lugging
my giant baritone to their house
and performing my music for
them. Even though they lived
three hours away, she always
tried to travel to my concerts
and musicals. I knew she was
not only interested in my talents
but genuinely interested in me;
she continuously makes me feel
talented and appreciated.
I have not always been a perfect
child. Like almost every other
teenager, I have lost my way
a few times. As hard as I try,
I can never keep it from my
grandmother. She can always tell
when something is off, and she