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My Mother’s Day Wish
I remember the moment I became a mom for the first time. The love that surged through me was like no other. That love grew with each child I cared for whether the child was mine or not. Children have a way of making me see the world with fresh eyes. Being around them forces my wandering mind to be in the moment and appreciate simple things like playing whiffle ball on a beautiful afternoon, jumping off a diving board, or choosing the perfect crayon from a box of sixty-four. Their curiosity, their enthusiasm, and their energy have a way of making me remember what’s truly important in life. When…
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Thanksgiving Day Changed My Life
I woke up in 2003 Before Thanksgiving Day 2003 I had been asleep, going through the rise and fall of daily life like waves on an ocean. I believed the key was to make my children’s lives better than my own and to create the fairy tale, the one with the white picket fence, big house, and happy family. Back then I had three major goals: Have a house that my children could call their childhood home, stress education so my kids would go to college, and educate myself and have a career so I wouldn’t be dependent on anyone. I finished my degree, we built the house and my…
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Love Means Letting Go
Long ago when I was in my early twenties, I saw a show (possibly 20/20) about children living in an orphanage overseas. What I saw was horrific. I felt in my heart that I needed to make a difference for children in need.
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What Do You Look For In A Leader?
Those that know me well know of my love for children. I enjoy being around them. Their honesty combined with their curiosity about the world brings me joy. Going from teacher to children’s book author made perfect sense for me. These beautiful young people understand more than most adults give them credit for and that’s why it upsets me when I see adults, especially those in leadership positions, setting bad examples for them. Perhaps they mistakenly believe that children aren’t watching. They are.
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Growing Avocado Trees
I didn’t recognize the symbolism of growing an avocado tree at the same time I was beginning my journey of becoming an author. I simply loved avocados. Four years later as I set a new seed on my windowsill at the same time I was stressing over how to market Mystic I realized my avocado trees represented change and growth from within myself. They were my reminder that even though I could envision the giant tree that would fill my yard it wasn’t going to grow overnight. I needed to care for it every day while enjoying each day and know that eventually my seed would be a majestic tree. Here’s how to grow an avocado tree. This picture was…
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Be The Person You Want Your Children to Be
Most parents have hopes and dreams for their children. I would guess that if asked a majority of parents would list happiness as their first goal for their kids probably followed by college and financial independence. Having a nineteen year-old daughter and a son in high school has brought forth an acute awareness that I am being watched very closely. I see clearly how all of these years I’ve been parenting, I’ve had two sets of eyes and two hearts studying my every action and decision. I ask myself the question. Am I the person I want my children to be? My first goal for my kids was that I wanted…
