In the Beginning

When I began to take my writing seriously, I did not know that I would discover a vibrant and generous community of writers on the web. Before I even began to turn to books, memberships and webinars, I learned a great deal from browsing blogs and sites offering valuable free writing tips. To all those “gurus” who have been helping fledgling authors like me, I thank you and salute you.

Summer is at its peak, and this one is special. My mother is on a bus tour to Chicago with my father. Under normal circumstances, this would be a non-event. It’s blog-worthy because this is her first such trip since she left the hospital ten months ago. Despite four life-threatening surgeries of which only the first one was scheduled, and several months in intensive care, she has triumphed.

Last year at this time, my mother begged us to let her go. She did not want us to fight for her life anymore. It was a painful summer for my family. Yet in the end, she found the strength to survive. The doctors said that she would likely need a feeding tube for the rest of her life…she’s now eating just like any normal person. She’s losing some of her toes due to blood clots that occurred during the first operation, but she’s still walking.

Miracles can happen when you need them.

Check out some of my work