It is March; the semester is beginning to overwhelm me. I caught myself this morning lamenting on what I lack in life. Which isn’t much, my gratitude cup runneth over. Yet I can see where I need help. On a few occasions I have asked for that help and received it. But the fact does remain that I am a single mom, commuting to school, raising a teen and juggling schoolwork with the details of everyday living. About this time of year, the weather teases us with bouts of beautiful weather followed by snow, the professors start piling extra assignments on, taxes are due, financial aid is due, summer employment must be procured and realization hits that I haven’t gotten to the grocery store since January. It is at these times when my ego takes over and starts to sing the “poor me song.” It is really rather sappy, melancholy notes followed by choruses of wailing. But what about meeeee? This song will not win any awards, and I will still have an exam to study for and an appointment with the accountant scheduled for when I should be studying. I will still have to write that essay instead of sleeping like I so wanted to do. But I am alone I wail into the microphone. I don’t live with a man, blah blah blah. I just need to read these words to come to the conclusion that I need to just get over it. And I am not alone. I have God, and really when it comes down to it, my Higher Power usually plans out my day with more Grace than I could ever imagine. And I have a fabulous life. Yes, my garbage is threatening to take over, I am behind in assignments and my teen is wondering if I will ever go to the grocery store again. But when I make a point to align my day with gratitude, remembering that my jumbo sized cup does indeed runneth over, do I have the strength to get up and change the song.
● About Me

I wrote and published my first blog post on May 26, 2009. I was about to turn 36 and had been accepted to Mount Holyoke College as a non-traditional student, on my way to completing a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Medieval Studies. I had managed, finally, to know what general direction I was traveling. As a self proclaimed voracious reader I knew that I needed a vocation that would allow me to engage daily with words: reading words, writing words, and hearing words. I also needed to eat, so I navigated my way to a teaching position and I began to fine tune my craft. I love to teach and I love my students, but I also needed to continue to hone my own literary technique, voice, and style. I continued my education in order to delve deeper into literature, making connections, and most definitely, writing. I gained more confidence as a reader as well as a writer of both creative and analytical text. That first blog post in 2009 is short, the writing average, and the topic mundane, but as I continued to learn from other writers I began to understand that to become a better writer I needed to write more. Each time I write and release a poem, a post, or a story, I hone my skills. I invite you along for the ride, for this journey of mine as I attempt to wrangle a wealth of ideas and competing directions into an organized freshly paved path to publication. I might get distracted along the way, but sometimes those detours lead us to amazing views and new friends.




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