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

  I am a strong woman. A mother, daughter, sister and a wife. And I’m not alone. I’m surrounded by equally indestructible women. Like them, I’ve felt the sting of the blade and survived. I’ve fallen to my knees, but I’ve always gotten up. Like an old oak tree with deep roots I do not break, I bend. Leaves may fall from my limbs but come spring my branches are full again.    So, if you thought, you’d broken me. Think again. You’re mistaken.   Look around. I’m not shattered. There aren’t tiny broken pieces of my life scattered on the ground. You may have shaken my trunk. Surprised and shocked me like a cold winter ice storm, but you didn’t destroy me. You simply fortified my resolve to live and thrive. See, you’ve underestimated me. My roots are too powerful and far too reaching for that. You simply woke me from a long, deep sleep. Instead of uprooting my life, you rekindled the full power of my strength.  I know who I am. I am kind and giving. Not weak. This is w...

  “Sometimes in the waves of change we find our true direction.” ~ Unknown    We’ve all heard the story of Jonah. He ran from God and ended up in the belly of a whale. Not exactly the posh uptown condo one might daydream about, right? Sounds more like a slippery, sloppy, messy and muddy ordeal to be honest. If not damp, mucky and downright terrifying to boot. I don’t know about you but the idea of being swallowed whole by anything is alarming. No less by a monstrous whale with jagged teeth. Yet, despite our best efforts, we all end up inside the belly of a whale at some time or another.    Why? Because we run. Fear takes the wheel and steers us right into the mouth of an angry, hungry whale. What was it Herman Melville said? Oh yes. “Ignorance is the parent of fear.” He sure had that right. I mean by the time regret catches up with us, we’re the proud parents, if not grandparents of a hopping mad, agitated litter of feral changelings we don’t recognize. ...

“Do not think you can be brave with your life and your work and never disappoint anyone. It doesn’t work that way.” ~Brene Brown     I've learned a few things in life. Well, let me take that back. I’ve learned a whole heck of a lot of things, good and bad. And all of it came with grief, pain, and a decent side of loss and disappointment. That’s life though, right? I mean we’re all here on this planet together. We all know, right? Pretty much I’ve found nothing turns out the way you thought it would. Absolutely nothing at all!    Abraham Hicks said, “People will love you. People will hate you. And none of it will have anything to do with you.” Truth? He’s unquestionably right. Although I’d also add, people will blame you for their disappointments too. It is what it is. Well sort of. See, the biggest lesson in life isn’t grief, loss or even disappointment. Though those life lessons all come with some sort of grit and a good wallop, dollop or punch to the face of d...

“ Make peace with your broken pieces.” ~R.H. Sin  Let’s talk forgiveness. I know. It’s one of those dirty words we don’t like to use, isn’t it? Nope, it’s not a four-letter word so to speak but it definitely gets the same reaction as the notorious F word doesn’t it?  Who wants to forgive or forget, anyway? It’s easier to hold a grudge, right? Or is it? Does forgiveness really make us weak or is it possible letting bygones be bygones can actually make us stronger? So, what is forgiveness and why is it so necessary anyway?   Granted most of us think of Christianity when the word forgiveness comes up. After all Jesus commanded His followers to forgive, but really, it’s more than a religious commandment. The concept of forgiveness is vital if we want to be happy or live freely. Tell you what. How about we just put the whole I command you thing aside for a moment. Christian or not, forgiveness is an important process. It’s not just a parlor act, an ...

“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...

“You’re beautiful because you know your own darkness and still, that alone doesn't stop you from finding your own light.” ~ R.M. Drake If you’ve been following my adventures for any time at all, then you have a pretty good idea I’m a hot mess. It’s undebatable. Right from the start I’ve had a bright, intense, passionate fiery streak running through my soul. True, my red hair might’ve something to do with it. I won't deny the possibility. Being a redhead has its unique and sometimes distinct attributes, there’s no denying it. On the other hand, I simply have a free, spontaneous, unconstrained spirit. And let me be plain, my heart, is just as naturally open and genuinely free and easy as my soul is.   Sure I open my mouth and my southern falls out. I’m a yes ma’am, don’t get your panties in a bunch, come hell or high water, thank you kindly, boot wearing, jean lovin’, bless your heart sayin’, raised on cornbread and sweet tea kind of girl. As a child finding me a...