Name/Title
Oakwood Atherton - Sr. Linda Hayward - Desert LandscapeDescription
Sister Linda has been around art all of her life. Her father designed homes and loved to paint with oils and watercolor. She remembers the day in an art workshop when she succeeded in painting a rose. "I cried," she admitted, "because it looked like a rose." Ever since then, she has loved painting in watercolor.
The oldest of ten children, Sister Linda was born in North Hollywood in 1939, where she remembers meeting Walt Disney at his home. She still fondly recalls her great love of body surfing on Moonlight Beach off of Encinitas. Her other passion was raising animals---anything from rabbits and chickens to goats and horses.
She entered the convent after two and half years of college. Though she thought she would teaching third grade, she came to love the high school juniors she was assigned to, teaching English and history in San Diego, El Cajon and Seattle. She also had the opportunity to teach summer school in Alaska.
Sister Linda attributes her long life to good genes, and advises "Live each day fully and receive each day as a gift. Life itself is a wonderful gift." It is her love of nature, as exhibited in her art, as well as her love of family--her own and the Sacred Heart community—that sustains her.
