Brave Heart, Brave Soul. She who is brave is free.

  “It’s the second half that has the happy ending.” ~  Lisa Alter Mark  I’m asked two questions, a lot.  The first one is usually, “how has your marriage lasted so long? “And the second is typically, “what’s your secret”?  Now, I could come up with a slew of quirky, clever, wisely inspired answers. And they would probably float. But honestly, there isn’t one answer or any particular secret to a successful marriage.  So, how’d we get here? Better yet how’d we find ourselves at the beginning of year 27 together? Well, we didn’t just wake up one morning and have a flourishing marriage. That's for sure. No, our success has come through a ton of trials and errors. The hubby and I don’t fit like a perfect mold. We both came into our marriage young with dings and dents. We’re extremely stubborn, hardheaded and difficult. Neither of us are saints. We’re two very different, flawed and imperfect people and that’s putting it mildly. While there’s no big secret to our happiness, the one thing

  “True love doesn’t happen by accident. It’s deliberate, it’s intentional, it’s purposeful, and in the end...it’s worth it.” ~ Darleen Schachet  I used to think growing old together was some far-off place.  And when we arrived, we’d have it all together. Little did I know. At 22 the world was still so young and wild to me. The years couldn’t pass that quickly, could they? Oh yes, yes, they most certainly could. And they have.  I don’t know when it happened. Or how really. But life has flown by. That’s the thing about life though. Isn't it? It’s gone in the blink of an eye. One moment you’re 22 and welcoming your first baby into the world and the next you’re almost 50 and he’s no longer a baby, but a man of 26.   It’s crazy for me to think how young my husband and I were when we got married. Honestly, we were babies with no clue or idea how marriage worked. Or what becoming parents really required of us. We were simply in love. We said our “I dos” and became the parents of two beau

  “Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been,“ ~ David Bowie There’s no denying it. I’m getting older. I have wrinkles, creases around my face and stiff joints. Oh, and what about the bruises I can’t remember happening. Or that limp when I get up. And yes, I absolutely make lists for my lists. I forget names, dates, times and places. Not to mention where I’ve left my phone these days. Let’s face it, my memory isn’t as detailed as it used to be. My idea of a fun weekend is a night at home, on the couch, with the hubby and our dogs binge-watching this, that and the other. And while I’d like to say the gray in my hair is fashion forward. It’s not. Wisdom is negotiable. Age is not.    Mostly, I’m just thankful for today. Bruises, scars, hiccups and all. I think most of us in our 40s and above feel the same. We’ve got a bit of experience under our belts at this point. All those life lessons that scratched and scraped us up mean something now.

  “There are moments in our lives where we find ourselves at a crossroad, afraid, confused, without a roadmap. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days.” ~Unknown  Life can change in an instant. One single decision, on any given day, in one direction or another, at just one solitary crossroad can change everything. And I mean everything!  The decisions we make in these moments can rewrite our history...erase and erode truth and reality. Every memory, every moment and every possibility for the rest of our lives can be gone in a split second if we’re not careful.  You can lose it all in just the blink of an eye. Your home, health, job, and yes, even your family.  And if you think it takes a lot for any of that to happen, you’d be wrong. It doesn’t take much. One tiny break in your foundation can split your whole world apart. Add assumptions, a breakdown in communication, misunderstood intentions, misrepresented sincerity, deafening silence, a pinch of hearsay