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

  “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 becam...

“I would not wish for any other companion in the world but you. “~William Shakespeare Marriage like any other relationship takes work and lots and lots of it. Sometimes no matter how hard we try, or how many tears we cry over our marriages, they simply fall short and then apart. I know because mine did five years ago. Now I’m not gonna mince words or sugar coat things, life was off the rails in the wrong direction for a long time. Words were said, things were done, and hearts were broken. To tell the truth we didn’t much like each other either. The blame doesn’t matter. After 18 years of marriage, ours was failing. Did either one of us set out to harm the other? No, not at all. No one plans to intentionally hurt those they love, not unless they’re callous, heartless or cold-blooded that is. This is the thing about life though. It happens whether we like it or not. Prepared or caught off guard it can get sticky pretty quickly and end up downright muddled before we know it. An...

“Do you think the universe fights for souls to be together? Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidence.” ~ Unknown     Nearly twenty-three years ago I met the love of my life. Six months later I married him. To be honest I wasn’t exactly looking for love when love found me. But part of my plan or not, love still found a way. I was seriously in a place of  singledom . And I liked it. I had just graduated college. I was working towards my future as an independent woman. I was eager to spread my wings and fly. Relationships weren’t on my radar, in any way. In fact, the idea of having a serious courtship was completely non-existent. Just thinking about dating gave me a headache. I’d decided I was better off being single and taking care of myself. I had things to do, places to be and people to see anyway. At this stage of my life being the other half of a some made up fairytale,  wanna  be twosome wasn’t happening. I wanted no part of be...

Celebrating 21 Years as Mr. And Mrs. O "I wasn't looking when I met you. But you turned out to be everything I was looking for." ~ Unknown That's exactly how I feel about my hubby. I wasn't interested in a relationship, much less marriage when he came walking into my life wearing his boots, cowboy hat and wranglers. The night he pulled me out on to the dance floor, I was breathless. Johnny was everything I wanted and nothing I expected. He was a man's man, confident, and yet he was sweet and humble. That night some 23 years ago, my baby swept me off my feet and I have yet to land on them again. To think I was just 22 years old when I met Johnny. I was seriously a baby. When I think of today's standards, I was barely out of the cradle. To be honest I had no idea what I was doing whatsoever. All I knew was I loved the man standing in front of me and I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life waking up beside him. I may have...

"Mom and Dad, I cannot begin to describe how BLESSED I am to have amazing parents in my life. Seeing true love through you both makes my heart happy. As your daughter, I see perfection in both of you. I love you." ~ Anonymous My Mom and Dad met in May of 1968 and married just 9 months later on February 8, 1969. Today my parents celebrate 48 years of marriage as husband and wife. For almost 5 decades my folks have built a life together, cultivated a family and been an example to so many of what true timeless love is. Growing up as my parents daughter I not only felt un-conditional love but I saw it in practice, in everyday life. I watched my parents, listened to them and felt their constant encouragement. I not only saw their love flourish through both good and bad times, I felt their love each and every day of my life, seeing it in continuous motion. To say my parents have endured trial by fire is an understatement. To say they have overcome does not begin to exp...