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

“Happiness is not a checklist. A dream job, a fast car, a good home, even love, mean nothing at all if you have not yet found a way to feel full and content in your one mind and heart.” ~ Beau Taplin Let me first begin with this...  I usually don’t have a plan most of the time. My imagination, however, always has one. Combine this with my old pal weirdness and most days I’m off and running. See, I’m one of those old souls. I’m a little odd honestly but I’ve never minded the label. Life’s been tough. I won’t deny it. And yet somehow, I still carry a happy heart in spite of the struggle. I’m most definitely an only child, there’s no way around that. My imagination and curiosity can attest to this. I’ve never been lonely though. As for my life experiences? Well each one's fashioned me into the writer I am today. I’m happy I’m me. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.  Turning 45 has me calling my childhood to mind. It seems so long ago some days. Others it f...

A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.” ~ Thomas Jefferson A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… OK. Stop. Maybe my story doesn’t actually start so far away. As for a long time ago...well this part is probably fairly accurate. If we were going back in time the year would be 1977. I was just 4 years old. The far, far away part, well you could say it's about as close to being factual as possible. After all, we were living quite a long distance from home at the time. In fact, when Star Wars, A New Hope premiered my dad was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. Which was some 5,232 miles from Texas to be precise. I remember waiting in a line a mile long it seemed, on post to see this new marvel they were calling Star Wars. I took in every scene holding my breath watching Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo and Princess Leia rise up against the Empire. I was completely taken with the whole idea of a lost son becoming a Jedi. I was torn though. My imagination was a complete...

“Lying won’t erase the truth, it can only delay it’s discovery.” ~Unknown I realize I talk a lot about my growing up years. My daddy called me Motor Mouth as a little girl. So yes, I talk a lot. And I write a lot too. I suppose that’s largely due to my upbringing. I've had quite the adventures if I do say so myself. My childhood was full of up and at 'em kind of days. Memories, I sopped up like a biscuit to gravy to be honest. And for a writer that's never a bad thing. I’ve certainly enjoyed my share of interesting humdingers along the way, that’s for sure. I can’t say I haven’t seen the world because I have. I’ve lived all around the globe and across this amazing country I call home. I’ve climbed mountains, sailed oceans, laid my eyes upon many of the world’s greatest wonders, danced inside castles and listened to symphonies within beautiful, old and historic halls. I’m blessed, that’s for sure. By God’s grace and my parents adventurous spirits, I’ve spent most...

"And she loved a little girl very, very much ---even more than she loved herself." ~ Unknown If you've ever truly spent any real time in the south then you know the apple never falls too far from the tree. Ask any southern woman including myself about her greatest attributes and she'll tell you flat out, "I got it from my Mama!" And nine times out of ten we'll be out spoken enough to let you know once we open our mouths it's our mama coming out too! It's just how it is around here. There's simply a particular way we do things not only in the south, but in Texas I suppose. It's just a given thing here when you drive someone home you wait around until they've not only unlocked but closed the door behind them before driving away. Truth be told we love our sweet tea, probably a little too much actually. We call all soda's coke and absolutely nobody eats 'till you say amen. We wave to strangers, we carry pocketbooks, an...

"WARNING: Reflections in this mirror may be distorted by socially constructed ideas of 'beauty'." ~ Anonymous How many times as women, even as men do we look into the mirror disappointed? We feel less than ordinary even, like we can never compare to the world's idea of beauty and perfection.  How many times growing up, did we step back into the shadows, afraid of our own reflection? How many times we were scared even to be ourselves? The fear of being judged by the outside world or even those close to us was stronger than drowning many times. I don't know about you, but the mirror has not exactly been my best friend through the years. Be it as a teenager, as a young woman, during chemo and the after effects of  breast cancer or turning 40, I have never had a great relationship with the mirror. In fact I was happier when I couldn't see my reflection, nose tucked away inside a book, hidden from the outside world in my room. I hated girly magazines, n...

"If you want to find the right road, follow many paths, be willing to try new things and don't be afraid to change the direction along the way. Leave your doors open."  ~ Anonymous It's unbelievable for me to fathom today my baby turns 18. Today he officially becomes an adult, a man in the world's eyes but in mine he will always be my baby boy.  Seriously eighteen years ago today I gave birth to our second born. I had no idea then how fast time would fly, and how much this little baby would change our lives forever. How could I know our Micah would challenge me to think so far outside the box or how he would inspire courage within myself in ways I never dreamed? And yet he has, over and over again. From early on we knew our son was authentic, genuine, the real deal and most definitely divergent. We saw his life, his direction moving towards a much less traveled path. Micah was not different, he was his own person, unique and contradictory in every wa...