About the Author

Born in the final months of World War II, Sherrill was a church-going girl at age eighteen, an unwed mother in a foreign country by her early twenties, and a press helper, artist model, new wife and meter maid in her thirties. After moving to Minnesota, she worked as a data entry tech, a police dispatcher and jail matron, before she became an EMT (emergency medical technician), 1981 through 2011, then an EMT-P (paramedic), 1991 through 1998, and an animal control officer, 1989 and counting. She was also on city council for 14 years. The EMS jobs could be stressful, but the animals kept her sane. Her own cats and for 13 years her dog, protected her kept her aware of what is important in life. More recently, she served as a guardian ad litem, an advocate for children caught up in the Family Court system.She enjoyed that work, but it was heartbreaking to meet kids with beautiful spirits who had been hurt in ways that made it hard for them to control their anger. Many of the experiences that helped Sherrill heal from childhood molestation and abuse as an adult occurred while serving as an EMS and EMS-P. Helping others made it possilbe to help herself. Edie Abnet created the art work on the front cover of this book. She has been a leader in the art community for nearly 50 years. Her work hangs in many galleries and private collections in Minnesota and across the country.