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

  “I will see you in Valhalla. I am a warrior. I will always be. For when my time comes, I will not beg for more time to pass. We are all fated to die on a certain day. I know there is no bravery without fear. Live for each moment as if it were your last. When I leave this world, I will smile. For there are many things for us to discover on the other side of the shield wall...” ` Lagertha    In 40 years of living with chronic illness I’ve watched my body slowly and then quickly fail. I’ve seen my vision fade, my heart weakens, my lungs stall, and my kidneys live day to day on the brink. I could go on and on, spill the beans on how my body has given up the ghost but what’s the point? We all eventually decay. The cost of living is dying. In the end no matter who we are or what kind of life we’ve lived; Death will not be denied her toll.     Dark, I know but Death comes for each of us, sooner or later. She is impossible to avoid or keep at arm's length forever...

 “There is no force equal to a woman determined to rise.” ~ W.E.B. DuBois  My whole life people have second guessed me. It’s just the way things are. At this point, I really don’t mind so much anymore. And for what it’s worth I’ve learned to accept it. There’s always one reason or another I’m forgotten or left out. Sometimes there’s not even a rational answer. As for an apology? Who apologies to someone they can’t remember? The truth is, being out of folks' minds isn’t so bad, not really. As far as I’m concerned being clean out of a handful of particular folks' minds isn’t such a bad deal anyway. Besides, “some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons.” And as far as I’m concerned, I’m good with that.  But the why? It's a good question. Just don’t ask me why I’m one of those invisible souls. I couldn’t tell you if I tried. I’ve pretty much spent my life disregarded and unappreciated by a good many folks. Overlooked, ignore...

“The strength of my soul was born on the backs of moments that brought me to my knees. “~ S.L. Heaton I was born with a fiery passionate flame. It raged in my soul. I longed to jump off buildings, swing from vines, wield a sword, build a lightsaber of my own, pursue the truth with Wonder Woman’s lasso and pretty much set the whole world on fire. From the time I can remember I’ve been this weird mix of introvert and extrovert. I can be both timid and unreserved at the same time. Red hair aside, most days I’m a quiet fighter. Now don’t get me wrong. I’m far from silent or stealthy. I could never in a million years be a ninja. Try as I might, you can hear me coming a mile away. I’m not loud per say, I just don’t have a mute button. My daddy can and will attest to this fact. After all, my nickname growing up was motormouth. I mean who could blame him? I was always talking. I always had a story to tell or a question to ask. As a little girl I’d spend hours sitting with my d...

“When we get to the end of our lives together, the house we had, the cars we drove, the things we possessed won’t matter. What will matter, is that I had you, and you had me.” ~ Unknown Let’s be honest. My life’s been an adventure. From the moment I was born, l was handed a passport and a suitcase full of wacky and whimsical shenanigans. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t off on an escapade somewhere or juggling uncertainty. Sure, I was born a free-spirit, but I was also raised to question everything, explore the outlands and venture out past the limit signs. While I was growing up my parents seemed to be restless souls to me with a little bit of gypsy in their hearts, traveling all around the world together.   Now I gotta tell y'all within seconds of taking my first breath, mama and daddy welcomed their baby girl into what was a small, but inclusive adventurers club. After all, adventure was out there. And if it was calling our names, you can bet we were go...

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful of all. “~ The Emperor- Mulan My childhood is far behind me. Long gone are the days of my youth. I’m a child no more. This is a fact none of us can argue. Can’t change it, go back or recreate the life I was given. I am who I am because of the path God set my feet upon some 45 years ago. There's not a soul reaching back into childhood who could debate my spunk and sass came naturally. A redhead with a face full of freckles from the start, I’ve always been a bit offbeat and quirky. Stubborn, yes, difficult no, and believe me, there’s a difference. I understood the world wanted to shape me into its image. However, I had other plans. The world saw my physical disabilities as restraints. I knew better though. While everything may have been an obstacle, nothing was a limitation. Just as long as I refused to accept society's constraints. You see, deep down those so-called limitations could never truly hold me back....