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

"Life doesn't come with a manual, it comes with a mother."  ~ Unknown I am most definitely my mother's daughter. We are completely different but absolutely cut from the same cloth. I learned love and grace by watching her life in motion. My mom is gentle, kind and loving. She's selfless, and always looks for the best in everyone she meets. She is one to give until she's completely empty. She rarely gives up on folks either. It takes far more than a broken heart for her to lock a door. My mom, "she makes broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walks with the universe on her shoulders and makes it look like a pair of wings." I simply adore my mom, and all she is. Is she perfect, a saint, no not in the least but she's honest, and she's real and that's what makes her so beautiful and authentic. She loves with all her heart, closes doors slowly and gives second chances freely. My mom is a woman of faith and prayer,...

Love, it’s almost indescribable. Love can hurt but then love can heal. Love can drive us bat crazy and then sooth our insane madness.  Some days we may be at our wits end and the next in blissful euphoria. It’s just how love is. Bonkers at times, yes but mostly we are one another’s happy place are we not? The truth is, we laugh a lot, maybe fuss a bit but when Johnny puts his fingers through mine I melt. As the day begins and ends, our love always leads us to each other. After over 20 years of marriage we’ve learned above all, we’re as human as it gets. We’ve seen each other’s worst, believe me.  The bottom of the barrel kind of bad and we’ve stayed.  Why? Well the storms of life, they will come there’s no doubt. The cracks of uncertainty will spread across your walls, maybe even throughout your foundation but “there is no challenge strong enough to destroy your marriage as long as you are both willing to stop fighting against each other and start fighting for each o...

Taking a look back, it was ten years ago I crossed the finish line during our first breast cancer walk. I was fighting the beast at the age of 33. Hand in hand, arms up with my family and friends we stood united. Johnny was on my left and my sister Morgen was on my right when we stepped over that line together.  To say it was a surreal moment is an understatement. But I learned something  as we crossed the victory line, something I carry with me till this very day.  Michael Douglas says it best, “Cancer didn’t bring me to my knees, it brought me to my feet.” So let me introduce myself again. I’m a fighter, I’m a survivor and I’m the proud owner of one real breast, a uniboob if you like and yes, one fake boob. I certainly found my sense of humor early on in this battle. My sister Morgen wouldn’t have allowed me to be any other way quite honestly. Morgen she’s a fighter herself, a fellow spoonie battling lupus. She looked me right in the eyes and I knew we woul...

“If you live to a hundred I want to live to a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” ~ Winnie the Pooh. That’s exactly how I feel about my mama. My mom, she’s a creature of  grace and vast character and qualities, not perfect but beautifully humble. Her natural, unfiltered beauty is breathtaking. Her soul is gentle, full of unconditional love. My mama’s smile, literally lights up a room. She’s pure joy, speaking her mind but never in meanness. She’s sensitive and yet so much stronger than she knows herself. My mom, well she’s not just a special lady, she’s absolutely one of a kind. Loved and adored, she’s one of those people who simply knows no stranger. I couldn’t imagine not being her daughter, not being part of her life in the ways I have been blessed in. I love my mama. I couldn't see my life without her nor would I ever want to. I’ve been told through the years how strong I am, but the reality is I am only a strong woman because a strong woman raised m...