Inspiration
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When they wouldn’t let my daughter on the bus because of her wheelchair…
When they wouldn’t let my daughter on the bus because of her wheelchair… Parents know the feeling well. When someone is mean to your child there is a rage that ignites in your heart and explodes throughout your body. I’ve had to deal with this incredibly strong, mama bear emotion, many times since my daughter became paralyzed at the age of ten. Most people, especially friends and family, have always been caring and supportive, however, throughout the years we’ve had our run-ins especially when it came to traveling. My daughter, Arielle, witnessed on many occasions me turning from quiet, peaceful, please don’t draw attention to me, mom, to the Incredible Hulk Mama Bear…
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Kittens
Kittens It’s hard to believe that it was only eight days ago when I took in this beautiful creature. Our neighborhood has unsterilized feral cats and I’m on a mission to spay and neuter. Momma cat and her kittens have filled the void of loneliness from missing Buddy with love. New life. New hope. She gave birth to 6 kittens on February 10th. Help in our Community If you live in Lee County and have a feral cat population in your neighborhood, Animal Services can help you. Check out this page: TNR Trap-Nueter-Return Here are some interesting articles on why the TNR program was started as an alternative to euthanizing feral cats.…
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The letter that made me cry
The letter that made me cry When I have author visits with schools I tell the students my inspiration behind writing MYSTIC. Arielle. Before I knew I was going to write a fantasy, I knew I would have a protagonist who used a wheelchair. Arielle was reading many books as a fourth grader in the Accelerated Reader program and not one of them had characters using a wheelchair. Meanwhile, I watched as Arielle’s life changed and she had to persevere through many obstacles while surrounded by able bodied people who she continually had to educate about these obstacles. Kids as well as adults could behave in ways that were insensitive. Playgrounds were not accessible and often her friends would run…
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Billy Joel
Billy Joel Back in the early nineties when Eric and I were dating we discovered we had very different tastes in music. He enjoyed Metallica and Iron Maiden while I preferred Alannah Myles and Mariah Carey. However, there was one artist we both agreed upon, Billy Joel. Well, it’s been twenty four years but we finally saw him in concert. We had an amazing time! Getting tickets was tricky. We heard his shows sold out in minutes. So, we coordinated our efforts. Eric from work and me from my writing room. We called Ticketmaster navigating their automated system to see how best to get accessible seats. Then we waited until precisely ten…
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Buddy’s Story
Buddy’s Story The Shelter May/June 2012 I didn’t want another dog. I had two. Nahla an old cocker spaniel we rescued when she was three and Ollie. Ollie, our problem hound who loves our family and other animals but hates most humans. A knock on our door, heck even a bump in the kitchen sends Ollie into guard dog mode ready to attack anyone who dares enter our den. He stands guard on our stairs at night as if we are his sheep and he must protect us. Beautiful, proud, sometimes pain in the neck, Ollie. The thought of getting another dog after Ollie scared me. One day, I saw a picture on Facebook. Big…
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Five Steps to Meeting Your Goals in 2014
Five Steps to Meeting Your Goals in 2014 December 31st! The very last day of 2013. There’s a certain stress to this day isn’t there? The questions linger. Did I meet my goals for 2013? Did I make the most of every day? What do I need to do better in 2014? I know from the amount of new members at our gym that I’m not the only one feeling as though some changes have to be made in 2014. Here’s how I look at my life. I break it up into categories. Family, Writing, Health and Fitness, Friends, Education, Spirituality, Community Service and Home life. Home life is everything from laundry to home repairs. Because…
