Deelstra worked for ten years for The Department of Human Services as a counselor to the impoverished until the trying position led her to open a holistic gift store. There, Deelstra enjoyed the fruits of her labors until, after the death of her son, she chose to follow her heart to southern California.

A dynamic, avant-garde woman, Deelstra has some surprising experiences: as a massage therapist, Teamster truck driver, bartender, telephone repairperson, counselor, decorator/stager, Realtor, and author. Currently, she is working on a series of children’s books, and on an ‘under-wraps’ writing project. This is her first non-fiction work.