Today we’d like to introduce you to Lori Shields.
Hi Lori , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
In 1976 I came to San Diego from Anaheim, California. We lived in a small community in Anaheim and I would celebrate my birthdays by going to Disneyland.. we moved to San Diego and that’s when my life changed for the better both my parents got better jobs. My dad and mom bought a house and I got a dog named frosty.. I thought San Diego was one of the the most beautiful places I had ever seen well considering I was six years old. The ocean was so blue and all the vegetation was green and the flowers just seem so large and vibrant.. I loved everything about it and I felt like I lived in a castle when in fact, it was really a track home with four bedrooms, one of which was my father‘s office. Every beautiful memory of my life that I recall fondly was either started or finished in the confines of Of San Diego County.. I graduated from Madison high school I sang in my first concert in the auditorium there. I got married in Balboa Park in the chapel and I gave birth to my first son at Naval Hospital, San Diego.. San Diego my hometown has the very best tacos and Carne Asada burritos..
San Diego is also where I found my purpose you might ask what is your purpose. To serve.. please don’t mistaken the word serve as me referring to military service. I’m something different.. I work in the mental health community.. as you know California in general is known for its homeless population, and they are near and dear to my heart. I was around when a lot of the state hospitals were closed, and then people who could not worked or possibly never worked.a day in their life because they were stuck in the system or put on the street to fend for themselves. Although my work and mental health is not exclusively with the homeless population, it is exclusively with mentally ill and people who have substance-abuse issues.. I watched my parents take time out of their week to go to the homeless missions and to do volunteer work at churches throughout San Diego County, as well as going into Mexico to provide services and care to people in need. I say that to say it comes to me naturally most of what I do is what I saw my parents do and I’m proud of that.. often times people get stuck mentally going in circles because they’ve been trapped on the street and may have lost memory or even the will to come back home to their loved ones. One person taking the time to talk to them feed them even provide some clothing to them could change the trajectory of their lives.. I feel like it’s my job to help bring awareness of the fact that we are our brothers
/sisters keeper.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Well, it’s true. That life is a mini splendid thing or should I say a mini splinter thing there’s gonna always be challenges it’s not about what you went through it. It’s about what you overcame to get from .8 a point B.. so I’ll say this I have worked professionally long enough to have thought that getting $13 an hour was a lot of money. i’m married to a USMC veteran that is now classified as a disabled veteran, but she wouldn’t really know it by looking at them. He’s still just as beautiful and handsome as he was the day I met him. We have three children and one dog named Semper Fi. And I am now a proud grandmother of one grandson.. our stories no different than anyone else’s. We were a family of five broke most of the time took us years to figure things out, and I have to tell you God is gracious and faithful.. It’s not about a lot of things it’s about staying the course being kind but vigilant.. all I can say is we’ve come long long way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I hold several professional licenses, my work is in healthcare, mental health, and developmental disabilities. I am currently working with the veteran population..
I am probably most known for being someone who was a public figure out a young age because I was a professional singer from my early teens into early adulthood. I’ve been blessed to work on some studio things as well as singing all over California, Texas, and I had the honor of traveling to Denmark With Kenneth Anderson who is the director of the gospel choir at UCSD. At the end of the day, I’m most proud of my parents my husband and my children because without them being the wind beneath my wings, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything that I was setting out to do.
When people realize that kindness doesn’t cost them a thing that graciousness doesn’t cost them a thing and if you pay things forward, it’s like a constant revolving door of goodness. Yes there’s gonna be bad people, but are they really bad or is it just that they’re in pain? Don’t allow the behavior of others to hold you back.. the most importantly don’t allow anyone’s words to stop you! If your friends are not encouraging you and helping you along, get a new set of friends.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
God and my family are the most important things and then second is helping my fellow man or woman
Contact Info:
Image Credits
Chris Shields
Moriah Shields
Ken Anderson
