"It's never too late to be great!"

Capistrano Pines resident Joyce Eatman recently published her memoir, Life's Lessons and God's Blessings. She was so inspired and energized by the process that she is now sharing what she learned and encouraging others to capture their own stories.   

Planting roots in a new town. 

Ms. Eatman moved from Chicago to Las Vegas at age 40 and dove right in, building a new life for herself and her then 13-year-old daughter. She enrolled in gaming school, quickly learned the art of dealing blackjack, and worked at the Lady Luck, the Flamingo, and eventually Ceasars, where she built lifelong relationships.

In 1989, Ms. Eatman founded her own nonprofit, Ladies Advocating Christian Entertainment (L.A.C.E.). The group started by collecting food for local families in need and is currently focused on its Grants 4 Grands initiative, which provides resources, connections, and support for grandparents raising their grandchildren. In 2022, Grants 4 Grands was even featured on Las Vegas' 8NewsNow and The Kelly Clarkson show, forging new connections with grandparents across the country.  

Capturing memories, celebrating life.

Ms. Eatman, now 82, began putting pen to paper for her memoir over two years ago and says it was a joyful experience, even though it included revisiting painful times alongside happy memories. Though the writing process took many months of daily hard work, Ms. Eatman was able to pull off a total surprise when she shared the book with her delighted family in October 2025. On seeing her book in print for the first time, Ms. Eatman recalled, "When I first got the book, it felt like a newborn baby. I hugged it, then I sat down and started to read." Ms. Eatman's family did exactly the same thing, and she has since received lots of positive feedback from family members and new friends who see themselves in her stories.  

Encouraging others to share their stories.

Eager to share what she has learned about memoir writing with others, Ms. Eatman has begun hosting storytelling workshops (including for fellow residents at Capistrano Pines) and sharing her experience through guest speaking appearances. Her goal is "to tell them what I learned from my journey and how to get started. . . . I wanted the book to be an inspirational piece to others. I wanted them to read the book and think—if she could do that, I can do it."  

Uplifting words rooted in rich experience.

Ms. Eatman is one of those rare people who seem to effortlessly speak a language of inspiration and encouragement. Below are just a few excerpts of her reflections during the storytelling workshop at Capistrano Pines.  

"Our life is worth living. We're here on purpose, with a purpose, for a purpose." 

"Sometimes you're the student, and sometimes you're the teacher. All of us sitting here today have so much to share. . . . I like to call us 'wiser advisors.' Believe in yourself. You have something. We all do." 

"Put some feet on your faith and go for it! You never know what you can do until you do it." 

"There is so much love, joy, and peace available to us. Think of when you started a new job and read the employee manual, and it talked about benefits like health insurance, paid time off . . . Well, if you didn't use them, that's up to you, but they were available. I'm telling you that we have some benefits in life! Let's live life and enjoy it and share it."  

Home is where you find peace and community.

Ms. Eatman shared that, to her, "home means a place to relax, be comfortable, feel safe, and be at peace. Whether it's one room or a mansion, there has to be peace and comfort. Otherwise, it's just a house. . . . I have a home at Capistrano Pines." In fact, Ms. Eatman's book is dedicated "To the management and neighbors at Capistrano Pines. Your kindness and care make this more than a residence. It's a community. I've been here for 15 years, and I think I have some of the best neighbors in the city." 

Perhaps Ms. Eatman's best advice for us all:

"It's never too late to start. It's always too late to wait. Get up and get started!" 

#affordablehousing #morethanahome