A Light at the End of the Tunnel: Surviving a Grief Storm

Sally Latimer is a retired Police/Fire dispatcher, mother, wife, grandmother, homemaker and businesswoman. She and her husband Thomas live in Southern California with their three dogs Abby, Joey, and Oliver, and three cats, Toby, Bindi and Jasmine. Sally has shown strength and resiliency in surviving physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse as a child. She has survived due to her spirituality and belief that she is a child of God, and that God doesn't make mistakes. Sally has spent over thirty years of her life as a volunteer for animal rescue. When she couldn't afford food for her own cat, she discovered that if she was willing to foster a cat, the rescue group would provide her food for hers as well, and that was the beginning of a long run in rescue. She and her husband, Tom, have bottle-fed newborn kittens and worked every aspect of rescue, finding their niche in transporting animals from shelters into foster or forever homes. One of their proudest moments was during the Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona, which burned 538,049 acres from May 29 to July 8, 2011. Sally and Thomas started a fundraiser on a Wednesday and by Sunday evening had collected over 1500 pounds of food and supplies as well as $2500 in financial donations to help take care of the displaced animals taken to the fairgrounds at St. Johns, Arizona. They personally drove the eight hours round trip to take the food and supplies, and the cash donations were sent to local vets for spaying and neutering costs. Since the loss of her son, Andy, in 2014, Sally has pulled back from rescue but still keeps in touch with all the local rescues and will do transports occasionally if an emergency arises. She also continues to network animals out of a high kill shelter and into foster care. In 2015 Sally began her first venture into selling Younique makeup and still is building that business. In 2016, she added LuLaRoe clothing for the complete package. Thomas created her boutique out of the single car side of their three car garage. There she can be found photographing her newest items, selling clothes to men and women, or finding homes for a dog or cat. She loves to help every woman feel she is beautiful and special. She is currently working on a Periscope venue called Rescue 411 to discuss animal rescue and care for animals, and has been writing items for a future blog. Sally and Thomas share a total of nineteen grandchildren, ranging from a newborn to age twenty-three. They delight in watching their grandchildren grow and spend as much time as possible with them. They have one great-granddaughter. Sally and Thomas enjoy traveling the world, visiting many historical sites from the ancient Roman ruins to the Great Barrier Reef. Her love of travel and adventure keeps Sally feeling young, and she is far from ready to settle down into retirement. As long as she can, she wants to keep going, living life to the fullest. Sally may be contacted at Sallylatimer@aol.com.