legacy lifestyle - gifted development · 9:00 Ð 5:00 monday through friday linda kreger silverman,...

Legacy Lifestyle • December 2018 December 2018 • Legacy Lifestyle10 11

Linda Silverman is a true fan of the Legacy Ridge homes, neigh-borhood, and community. This incredible woman is the type of person that makes you feel at ease at first introduction. Upon walking into her home in Legacy Ridge, I was first enticed with cookies and tea. Then as I got settled, I was quick to feel a serenity. Linda’s home is one of the many in Legacy Ridge with a gorgeous view of our beloved snow-capped Rockies nestled in the lovely mature trees that dot her gorgeous landscape. One of Linda’s favorite ways to unwind from her amazing career is to sit in the hot tub next to the large-tiered koi pond and just relax in her own personal oasis.

While one can easily credit the feeling of peace you get in Linda’s home to the home itself, that is not the only reason. Linda is a truly intuitive and kind person. One can only assume that her ca-reer as a licensed psychologist has certainly stemmed from these qualities, and they have nurtured the seemingly innate skill. A huge testament to this is the fact that she and her husband cared for more than 20 teenagers throughout the years. Just imagine how difficult teenagers are; now imagine taking care of some that aren’t even yours. That’s the kind of love and grace that this cou-ple exuded. They took on some kids that no one else wanted and made a difference in their lives.

Linda’s career path has taken her beyond what some of us may consider what a “typical psychologist” does. Linda is the founder

of the Gifted Development Center (GDC), which is located right here in Westminster. Over the 40-year lifetime of GDC, Linda has led the center in becoming an internationally recognized leader in assessment and advocacy for the gifted. The Center has tested well over 6,000 children throughout the globe and the GDC is the standard of excellence in the assessment of gifted as well as twice exceptional learners (gifted children with learning disabilities). She served on the faculties of CU, DU and Colorado Women’s college in special education, gifted education, and counseling psychology. She has written countless articles plus 20 books on giftedness including renowned textbooks. She has a true passion for the field of gifted and talented. As a parent of a gifted student, I think it is safe to say, “Thank you” to Linda should you see her out and about. Who is to say where this field would be without her profound and extensive service to it? To think, your sweet neighbor has had such a huge impact on the lives of GT children and adults around the world. And she is in no hurry to slow down. She was quick to let me know, “I am nowhere near retir-ing.” For that, I am thankful and inspired.

Linda has been blessed in her life in so many ways. None is more apparent than the relationship and life she has shared with her husband, Hilton. During my visit, Linda was gracious enough

meet your neighbor

Linda SILVERMAN

By Brenda Ritz - Legacy Ridge ResidentPhotos by Lynn Fischer


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to share some footage she has of her husband speaking to a nephew in his role as a psychic healer. I was blown away by the unabashed candor with which he spoke. In watching, you could really see he wasn’t afraid to pull punches. He was helping his nephew realize his true self and hopefully grow. As amazing as that was to watch, I was just in awe of the look of utter joy and love that Linda had on her face watching her late husband. She later told me that while she misses his physical presence, she never feels alone. He is always there watching her and guiding her still.

Linda and her husband Hilton moved into Legacy Ridge two years ago. Linda readily admits that she was never very “neighborly.” But the community of Legacy Ridge cured her! Sadly, Linda lost her husband of 57 years rather suddenly to leukemia about a year after moving into their home. While that was the biggest shock of her life, she was also beyond surprised by the way that her neighbors loved on someone they scarcely knew after Hilton passed. The outpouring of concern and support was perhaps the biggest comfort to her and has taught this neighbor the value of being neighborly. For that reason, she vows to make Legacy Ridge her forever home.

Legacy Lifestyle • November 2018 November 2018 • Legacy Lifestyle14 15

Gifted Development Center8120 Sheridan Boulevard, Suite C-111

Westminster, CO 80003(303) 837-8378

www.gifteddevelopment.com

9:00 – 5:00 Monday through Friday

Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D.Licensed PsychologistLegacy Ridge Resident

Since 1979, Gifted Development Center has served as a global leader in the assessment and development of gifted individuals of all ages. We support giftedness throughout the lifespan. Through our work, we have changed the lives of over 6,000 children and their families worldwide.

RESPECTQuestion: What one thing can parents do now to help their children thrive in the future?

“My answer would be one word: respect. If you respect your children, they will thrive.”

Many of us were raised to respect our elders. But today’s children do not abide by this principle. They believe children have as much right as adults to be treated respectfully. They want to be seen for who they are, they want to be appreciated, they want to be consulted about decisions that affect their lives, they want to be listened to regarding their own needs. They want to be valued equally with adults.

We demonstrate that we value children in the way we communicate with them. Try this exercise:

optimal developmentBy Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D. - Legacy Ridge Resident

Close your eyes and imagine that you are asking your mother-in-law to get off the phone. Observe everything you can about yourself as if you were watching a movie. Now imagine asking your child to get off the phone. What differences do you notice in your choice of words, your tone of voice, your facial expression, your body posture, your amount of wait time? Why does your mother-in-law warrant being treated differ-ently from your child?

The power differential between parents and chil-dren needs to be carefully re-examined in the con-text of our increasing lifespan. The most important relationships you establish are with your children. Their childhood is only a small slice of that rela-

tionship. If you are blessed, the largest portion will be when they are adults. Take a few moments to consider what kind of a relationship you want to have with your children when they reach adult-hood? How would you like your adult children to feel about you? What do you have to do now so that this can happen?

My parents lived to be 94 and 98. In their later years, my sister — the eldest child — lived in the same apartment building and took care of them. Their parent-child relationship lasted over 70 years, and my sister spent more years being responsible for their welfare than they spent being responsible for hers. If you think about parenting from this longer view, it changes your priorities. The child you holler at for bringing home a C is going to decide when you go into a nursing home!

If you can look beyond the roles of parent and child, you can begin to appreciate that this presence you have brought into the world is your lifelong com-panion, friend and fellow traveler on this journey called Life. Look deeply into your child’s eyes and you will see a unique individual with special gifts to bring you. Even the challenges they present are gifts to assist your own growth. If you have more than one child, you know how unique each child really is. This journey you are on together will, hopefully, last many decades and, in the end, the roles will be reversed and they will parent you.

It is important to develop a relationship with your children robust enough to survive throughout the lifespan and transform as developmental changes transform your roles. Your job is not to mold your children. You don’t want to be molded by your adult children. Your job is to get to know who these indi-viduals are because you are going to be in relation-ship with them for the rest of your life.

Respect means seeing, appreciating and valuing each other as lifelong companions.Respect is a dance among equals who have chosen to journey together. This is a sacred trust. Not only will your children thrive as a result — so will you.

Dr. Linda Silverman is a Legacy Ridge resident. In 1979, she founded Gifted Devel-opment Center, in Westminster, which has worked with over 6500 families. She can be reached at [email protected].

Legacy Lifestyle • January 2019 January 2019 • Legacy Lifestyle22 23

Do you remember when cars had personalities? I learned to drive on a copper 1957 Oldsmobile with big tail fins. My dad’s new car was gorgeous. I was 16 years old and he trusted me to drive it. I grew up in Buffalo, New York. Blizzard country. Do any of you know what a “white-out” is? I still vividly recall hitting a snowbank and denting my dad’s car. I felt horrible. But he was unruffled. It could be fixed. If I had owned such a beautiful new car when my children were learning to drive, I don’t think I could have been that generous.

In the 1950s, it was easy to tell one automobile from another. They were all so unique. Designers created auto body styles that distinguished their brand. What happened to that uniqueness? How come they all look alike now? But one thing has changed…

I started to realize it as the days got shorter and the nights got longer. Driving in the dark—especially in bad weather—I orient myself by focusing on the backlights of the car in front of me. Following tail lights runs in my family. One night in a blinding Buffalo white-out, all my mom could see were the red lights of the car in front of her. So she followed them. Suddenly, the lead car came to a grinding halt. She saw the driver get out of his car.


Westminster, CO 80003(303) 837-8378





optimal development

Infinite PossibilitiesBy Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D. - Legacy Ridge Resident ([email protected])

Fearing an accident, she rolled down her window and asked the man why he had stopped. He replied, “I’m in my driveway!”

When cars were easy to identify by their design, tail lights were pretty much the same. I guess there is only so much you can do with incandescent bulbs. Like miniature traffic signals, they were all in the exact same place on the cars. Now that auto bodies seem to conform to the same mold, car designers are outdoing

each other with LED displays of every conceivable design. They compete to see who can create the coolest light show. There are infinite possibilities with tiny beads of red light.

In these dark winter months, you can entertain yourself in a traffic jam by counting how many different styles of backlights are on the road with you. If you’ve got kids in the car, you can create a visual discrimination game for your family. “Who can find two sets of tail lights alike?” You can teach your kids shapes (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, ovals). They can describe the variety of light designs they see: vertical lines on either side of the rear window, a bar across the bottom, horizontal rows of lights, starbursts, outlines, tiny beads of light, large beads, waves, etc. They can characterize the patterns they notice. “This one looks like a C and a backward C, and that one looks like an L and a backward L.” “Shooting stars!” “Two old telephones talking to each other.” “Those laughing eyes are staring at me!” Strange thoughts from an avid tail light follower…

I also have license plate envy. I wonder how somebody got lucky enough to get a license plate so easy to remember, like 123 QQQ. I saw a license plate this week that made me laugh out loud. This one was special ordered. It reads: “TSK TSK.”

No two license plates are the same. No two individuals are alike, either. We are not interchangeable. Each one of us is different by design. It’s not just to tell us apart. Each of us has a different purpose. My husband loved to people watch. He was amazed at the fact that every single person in the world is different. Let us delight in being unique and in the uniqueness of everyone we encounter. Infinite possibilities, unlimited potential.


By Linda Kreger Silverman, Ph.D. - Legacy Ridge ResidentPhotos by: Lynn Fischer

Since moving to Legacy Ridge, I have learned the importance of good neighbors for optimal well-being. Legacy Ridge is a unique community. Before moving here, we lived in the mountains on three and a half acres of land for nearly 30 years. I loved the scenery and the serenity, but I was not connected to our neigh-bors. I didn’t even know their names.

We were delightfully surprised to discover that amidst a neighborhood of homes that are relatively close together, we still maintained our privacy and the feeling of sanctuary that we had in the mountains. The Open Space of Legacy Ridge attracted us, as well as the aesthetics of this commu-nity. The care that went into planning Legacy Ridge and the attention to detail is very apparent everywhere you look in this development.

I responded to the beautiful environment, completely unaware of the people who live here. One summer day in 2017, I came home and found a note in my screen door. It read, “I want to have a party and welcome you to the neighborhood, along with your neighbors. Please call me.” The note was signed, Marilyn and


Westminster, CO 80003(303) 837-8378




Westminster, CO 80003(303) 837-8378





John Carpenter. What a delightful surprise! I had never been welcomed into a neighborhood before. I didn’t know how to be a neighbor—let alone a good one.

The block party was wonderful. The food was great and I got to meet the people who live close by. If you haven’t had the good fortune of being welcomed into your neighborhood, take the initiative and organize a welcoming party for someone new to Legacy Ridge. It is an incredibly kind gesture. That block party made Legacy Ridge really feel like home.

I know absolutely nothing about plants and their care. In the mountains, we had wildflowers for 30 years. John Carpenter offered to come over and give me a tour of the flora on our prop-erty. I followed him around with paper and pencil. I still can’t remember the names of all the shrubs.

I met Mercy and Addison Scholes at the block party. In Septem-ber, Mercy came over with a bag of ripe tomatoes from John and Marilyn’s garden. John and Marilyn were away, and they wanted their neighbors to have the fruits of their labor.

Good Neighbors

optimal development

In November, the doorbell rang and a delightful man said he had just bought the house next door and wanted to introduce himself. I never would have thought of doing that. We invited Joe and Yumiko Wise, and Joe’s dad, to come for tea and dessert. It was remarkable to me that someone could be so friendly and neigh-borly that he would introduce himself before he even moved in. Joe just gives you the feeling, “I’ve got your back.”

December was a difficult month. On December 5, my husband of 57 years was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. At a family ther-apy session, Hilton said brightly to the therapist, “I win either way. Either I get to cure cancer or I get to go Home.” Hilton was complete-ly unafraid of death. On Christmas Day, we drove to Good Samaritan Hospital and five days later we elected to have Hospice care. Joe and Yumiko’s moving van had to make way for the ambulance that brought him home. On January 2, Hilton got to go Home—his real Home. I always knew he was a visitor here. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the years we got to spend together.

My first visitors were Marilyn and John Carpenter. Marilyn made a delicious homemade apple pie. Mercy and Addison brought over a red velvet cake, Hilton’s favorite. The orchid plant Joe and Yumiko gave me brightens my kitchen.

I have never lived alone. I married when I was 19 years old. My family worried that I would not be able to be alone in this house. But I didn’t want to leave my dream home. What happened in the following months was beyond my wildest imagination. The neighbors all took care of me. When the snow came, my driveway was magically cleaned and my car as well. (I didn’t know how to park the car in the garage. That was Hilton’s job.) I never picked up a shovel. Joe, John, Marilyn, Addison, and Mercy all saw to it that the driveway was clear of snow. Kristi, my neighbor on the other side, and her dad took care of my lawn. I was surrounded by elves. The kindness of my neighbors has been transformative. I feel safe and cared for—exactly what Hilton would want. Now I know I can live alone. I’m not really alone: I have neighbors. I want to give back to the community that has held and supported me through this difficult period in my life. That is why I’m writing this column. I encourage all of you to reach out to your neighbors. There is no telling what a difference you can make in someone’s life.

Joe and Yumiko Wise

Marilyn and John Carpenter

Mercy & Addison Scholes with their dog, Casey.

legacy lifestyle - gifted development · 9:00 Ð 5:00 monday through friday linda kreger silverman,...

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