Fear of the blog

For a while now I've been thinking about starting a blog, and actually set this up a year ago without writing a word in it! I wondered if anyone would give a rat's patooty about what I would write.   I do have a lot to say -- maybe that comes from always wanting to be heard as the youngest of 12 kids growing up in a not-so-quiet house not intended for that many kids!  Maybe it comes from being a journalist -- a career I chose at the impressionable age of 11 after winning a writing contest on Ecology in my 6th grade class.  But the real question I struggled with was does anyone care to read my thoughts and opinions?  I guess I'll find out!  There are so many blogs out there -- blogs about this, that, something, and nothing!  Mine is Seinfeld-ish -- a blog about the nothingness and the little somethings in life.

In 2001 life took an odd and tragic turn for me, and since then, nothing has been the "normal" I expected it to be.  I've had some unique opportunities and have met some amazing and interesting people.  I've experienced love and heartache, and I've seen friends come and go.   The constant in my life has been my kids, and extended family.  Thank God for them, and the friends who were part of my life then and still are, and the ones who I've latched onto along the way.  I've used writing as a way to remain sane and attempt to heal as much as one can; as a way to release stress; and as a way to document my ever-so-sureal journey.  Much of it I've kept to myself, and some of it I've shared.  Maybe more of it will come out as we go.

I've learned that humor can help you deal with the most morose things in life, and I've learned someone else always has a story more difficult than your own.  I also discovered that helping others can go a long way in finding happiness myself.

So life's twists and turns, heartache, tragedy, transitions (both horrific and comical) and misfortune have contributed to whom I became and who I am.  Those obstacles have altered my way of thinking; prioritized what's important; and made me a better person.  Welcome to my journey.  I hope you'll be entertained, informed, and inspired, and I hope you're intrigued enough to share and come back for more!