Karen Heaton:
CLASS OF 1984
Granite City High SchoolClass of 1984
Granite city, IL
Karen's Story
Jesus Christ is my hero & my inspiration. He's gotten me through some huge obstacles since the good 'ol High School days. Without Him, I would have no hope & no courage to face tomorrow. He is my Rock & my Fortress. I don't believe in "religion", I believe in having a "relationship". I don't believe people go to Heaven because they're "good" or "bad", I believe people go to Heaven when they embrace Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made to free them of their sin.
The Bible talks about God allowing us to "go through the fire" much the same way a blacksmith puts silver in a fire to purify it and make it shiny - God allows us to go through the fire to "make us shiny" & purify us. I should be pretty shiny by now!!!!!!!!!
I've been struggling with watching someone I love battle addiction for a very long time now. First it was my former husband, who pretty much lost his battle to alcohol and landed himself in prison, sentenced to 15 years. He had a 6-figure income, a beautiful home on 76 pristine acres, a faithful wife & healthy children, and he allowed alcohol to rob him of all of that. I'm one of those people you hear about who was married to someone for a long time (13+ years) only to find out that they never really knew their spouse. I wish I could begin to put into words what the incarceration of my children's father has done to them, but it's not possible because I'm sure I don't even have a full grasp myself because I can only observe, I can't tap into their real feelings. I can only say that in my wildest dreams I never would've imagined it could've happened & that my children would b...Expand for more
e writing letters to their father in prison. The effects of his incarceration are like the ripples made by a 2-ton boulder being dropped into a quarry pit full of water. The ripples continue today - 8 years after the crime was committed, 7 years after the divorce was finalized, 6 years after he actually went to prison. The ripples will most likely never end. They will continue to wash over the next generation in some form or fashion. Without Jesus Christ, my family, and my Christian brothers and sisters who've been there for me through the thick and thin, I surely would've drowned in my circumstances by now. Jesus is my anti-drug.
Since this is a site directly related to the past and our school years, I will say that if I could do it all over again, I'd never be elected "class sweethearts" because I dated the same boy for 2 years. (No offense, Mike, but you probably feel the same way!) I would've spent more time being involved with school activities and would've spent more time just being a kid & doing things with friends. I was entirely too wrapped up in my "boyfriend" & wasted WAY too many weekends doing absolutely nothing productive or fun. High School kids are too young to be so serious in a relationship. If I could go back, I'd find a way to finance college & I'd live with some friends, work, and get my education before jumping into marriage and motherhood at such a young age, too. I wouldn't trade my kids for the world, I just think I might've been a better mother had I waited a few more years and gotten an education & more life experience before bringing them into the world.
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