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

  “When you finally go back to your old house, you’ll find it isn’t the old house you miss, but the love that filled it.” ~ Unknown    This house is my home. It’s small. But I’ve never needed more than I have. She’s a good house. Filled with love and warm, cozy memories. Like many homes her age, she’s a bit weathered. She’s seen more than a few tragedies. Mopping the floors with her tears, this house has in turn filled each nook and cranny with hope. Sure, this house is slightly discolored, her paint’s chipped around the edges and if you look closely, you’ll see where she’s peeling. She’s patched up here and there, and she’s missing a tile or two somewhere I’d imagine. But while she’s a bit tattered, her foundation is still strong, and steady. She’s really quite marvelous in the morning, so quiet and still. I love how the sun shines through her windows, filling every room with warm, soft beams of light. And oh, what a sight she is when the sun goes down. Even aged and mel...

“Do you have the courage to bring forth this work? The treasures that are hidden inside you are hoping you will say YES.” ~Elizabeth Gilbert Did you daydream as a child? Of course, you did. We all do. Do you remember what they were? Or how they made you feel? As children we think we’re invincible really. I know I did when I was a little girl. When we’re kids, we can scale mountains with one leap or take to the skies in a single bound. And when you’re little the doors between daydreams and reality aren’t always as well defined as they become when we’re adults. Either door we chose, as children or adults, whatever dreams we follow or chase, eventually build our character and form our caliber. Dreams are funny this way, aren’t they? They can make us feel ten feet tall or smaller than a flea, in a circus and maybe just as useless too. Our dreams have the ability to shape or shatter us. Dreams can be misleading too but the truth is without them hope dies. The reality is drea...

“As a mom I go to bed every night promising myself that I will do better. Most days I stumble, some days I am down right ashamed of my behavior. I wish I was perfect for you, but I am human and sometimes I will fail. But I promise to never ever give up!” ~ Unknown Growing up an only child with a rather big imagination I kept my mama on her toes. I had dreams as big and wide as the open skies of Texas. By now I shouldn’t have to tell you my dreams were equally as big as my imagination. I’d spend hours dreaming up adventures in far off places, I spent most of my afternoons daydreaming about kings and queens,  knights, dragons, the Jedi and of course superheroes. I wanted to grow up and be a teacher, writer, singer, dancer and even a soldier like my daddy. Contrary to popular opinion at the height of the late 70's and early 80's becoming a mom was at the top of my list too. I told you I had dreams...big ones. Now I won’t candy coat the truth, life made a fairl...

“You can’t be sure of most things in this world, but you can be sure of the love that lies between a mother and daughter.” ~ A Parent’s Humor   The truth is, there’s not another woman alive that can take my mama’s place. It’s just the way it is. Mama’s kind, gentle, loving and a beautiful, good and lovely soul. She’s not perfect, but then none of us are. I’ll tell you what I know. She’s spent her life encouraging my dreams of writing. Mama’s fostered a sense of humor and self-esteem inside my heart by inspiring my imagination and motivating my creativity. She's protected me. Sometimes at her own expense too. When the vultures have come, she’s fought them back. When clowns have appeared with buckets full of water looking to drown my voice, she's been my life boat. Even when beastly mobs descended out of the darkness seeking to extinguish the light within her baby girl, she never  wa vered.  Mama always knew how to shelter me from the storms, but nev...