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

"My prayer is that when I die, all of hell rejoices that I am out of the fight." ~C.S. Lewis    Wanna know the truth? I’m really not all that brave. I’m pretty much stubborn and hardheaded. That's what I am. Basically, like my cooking, I simply make it up as I go. Give me a pan, some garlic, onion, butter, add a little salt, maybe some pepper and throw in a piece or two of chicken and you’ll eat well. But hand me a spear and you just might starve. Reality is I’m no soldier. I’ve never been trained in the art of war. I don’t know strategy or how to command an army. Sure, I can pick up a shield and sword and yes, I can charge the battlefield but let’s be honest, like a stormtrooper, I’m gonna miss every time. At the end of the day, I’d say chaos is more my art than anything else.      Now I certainly didn’t have a say in matters, things probably would have turned out differently if I did. Still, Chaos certainly found me and never quite let g...

“Do what is right. Not what is easy.” ~ Unknown Knowing what’s right and having the courage to follow through with it can be two totally different things, can they not? As a little girl.my mama used to read to me. She read often and kept my library diverse, expanding my imagination daily. Robin Hood was absolutely one of my favorite bedtime stories. It probably goes without saying, Disney’s 1973 animated classic adaptation is hands down one of my all time #1 all time most loved films. Well, right after The Rescuers, that is.But getting back on topic Disney’s version of Robin Hood stands out as something rather special in my life. My poor record player probably felt worn, slap out most days...I mean I’d play my LP over and over and over again. I knew every word, every song and every move our dear hero took on his way to freeing the good folks of Nottingham. To be honest, the movie itself is rather clever in its adaptation of this legendary character, if I do say so myself. T...

I am again reminded, the C word , is not only an ugly menace, but a monster who comes not only to destroy you, the warrior, the fighter , the survivor, but to consume our families, to swollow them whole. This last week I have had the blessing of not just spending time with my son, but having an open hearted, soul revealing and life changing conversation. My eyes have been opened more than ever, my heart broken a bit and my mind focused on the continued after care of those I love since Cancer came to town. We have taught our children to love, in spite of the hurt, to serve those in need, to give even when it means sharing the last of our own last stash, yet I know there have been times in our journey when the bumps and pot holes have taken their toll on all of us. Now standing where I do today I can see the bigger picture, and the deep pain they have kept hidden from me. Johnny and I have brought our boys up in a loving home, far from perfect, but a home where innocence was the...

We have all been affected by bullies, in one way or another. Unfortunately it’s part of the growing up process, a problem we all face. Sadly bullying has become an increasingly wide spread problem even amongst adults especially with advances in technology. As a child I dealt with bullies, those who didn’t like me personally for one reason or another, but mostly by those who felt threatened by my inner joy in the face of trying circumstances. I hate to say this but bullying, at least the kind I grew up with before the age of texting, emails and facebook was one of those terrible ways we learned to deal with confrontation, to develop a thicker skin so to speak. But in today’s world the problem is we have no refuge from bullies, they are everywhere, and they have access to every part of our lives, not just an opportune meeting behind the school dumpster anymore but far greater and damaging means. Bullies terrorize the lives of those they see as weak; they are merciless, pitiless, stone-h...

I don’t know how your week has gone so far but mine, yes I realize today is just Sunday,no Monday,  has started off rather emotionally charged and a bit off kilter. I for one did not go looking for this mess I seem to have found myself in, yet “it” found me all the same. To be completely honest I knew, deep down, I had my suspicions, but I wanted to dismiss my concerns as silly and frivolous.  I ignored what I saw; turned an ear to such silly chatter when “it” made way into my ears from time to time, and yes I kept my mouth shut mostly because I could explain it away. Now the truth is front and center and I have a choice to make: first take a long, deep breath, second make issue of such silly nonsense or let it all go. So go ahead, imagine me sitting here at 2 AM in the morning, PJ’s on, yawning, hair this way and that, maybe even some let over dried tears on my face with my scale of justice on the table, balancing out what to do next!  The reality is sometimes we fi...

Putting it mildly, life in the BC zone can be very hectic and overwhelming. Is there a perfect route in which you can navigate yourself through the Big C? Not really, honestly there is no correct or incorrect path to really answer this question except to say cancer is a giant zit. You know those large, red puss filled things, sitting on top of your nose, which like to block your view? Sometimes they can just go away on their own, and other times they need a little help being uprooted before you can begin to clean the surface of their foul infection. Cancer is just like a zit, she’s a monster sucking the life right out of you and if left untreated both physically and emotionally she can drain every ounce of life, laughter and sanity from of you. What is it about cancer and her bullies which make them so ready to destroy you, to take everything away from you once by ounce?Why is it every part of what once was real, certain, and concrete in your life  must be chipped away? Serious...