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

“Running away from your problems is a race you’ll never win.” ~ Unknown We’ve all heard the story of the prodigal son. He’s notorious, right? He left home, packed his bag, took what was owed him, said adios to his family, turned his back and set off to see the world and live big. He was his own man, ready to do his own thang. You know how it is when you’re young. Our protagonist wanted nothing more than to live high on the hog, party, mingle with the masses and make a name for himself. OK. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I can’t help but think of Smash Mouth here. I’m envisioning our wayward son pulling an “All Star” move with his finger and thumb in the shape of an L on his forehead. I mean come on. Let’s be honest. On the way out the door he pretty much flipped off his family and disappeared. In the bigger picture, we can see what he can’t. Youth, money and good times don’t last. In fact, at some point we lose all three in our lifetime. You know this and so do I, b

As little girls we look up to our daddy’s. They are our first love, our heroes and navigators. They set the example, and if they are good men they set the bar high. As children we watch everything they do with eyes wide open, how they love our mothers, how hard they work, sacrifice and how much they believe in us, their children. My dad is an incredible man, selfless in every way, always giving, with a true servant’s heart. Thanks to my daddy, I was given two of the greatest gifts a little girl could ever have. One, my dad loved my mother and it was evident in everything he did, and two, he believed in me. My mom and dad married in the late 60’s. My dad came into my mom’s life when she needed him the most. He has loved her since the day he met her. Now my dad is a southern gentleman from Alabama and my mom called Philly home. To say they were the least likely pair to meet and marry is not a stretch of the imagination. Four years later I came along. I was an unexpected mi