I love to write my thoughts down. I decided to write this blog because I have kept a journal now for 20 years. The love for writing actually was kindled in my heart about age 12. I was in Deana Patterson's english class. She had us start each morning out with journaling. How cool was that??? From that time on, I don't remember not being aware of what was going on inside and how much clearer everything seemed when I wrote it all down. She had us write stories by looking at magazine articles. We'd imagine what we thought may be happening in that picture and off our young minds would go. Of course, mine were always mushy love stories. After all, that was the year of first loves. I was begining to wonder if I'd ever get over mine. lol Well, FIVE YEARS LATER....finally, I moved on. I laugh and realize now we're were much more really close friends than any romantic notion I'd dreamed up, but....oh well. God truly was watching over my crazy young dreamer self even then. It's amazing how God works in all things but 25 years since we married and all is well. You know, its really amazing that Hank ever even remotely 'got me' in the least. I have always marched to my own drummer for sure. Folks in Houston didn't really know what to think of me I don't think. I have always had many friends, some real heart friends, and felt welcome in most all circles. However, at the same time never quite felt I fit in. I know that sounds strange, but you can be around people all the time and still be very much alone. By age 15, during on of my many teen love dramas, I wrote my first song."It Was You" Now that set me on a brand new fire! I'd been singing for years. I'd been writing poems for years...but this music just begin to just fill up in me and from that, a song was born. For me, the words are always in the music. ALWAYS! It was such a blessing and distraction though. My friends loved it too. I'd recorded at a make shift home studio of a friend. We had piano,thanks to my extremely talented voice coach. Drums, base, accustic guitar....ooooo still get excited reliving it in my mind just now. I won local talent shows and even was asked to sing it a the Mid South Fair in Memphis. Boy, "my head was in the clouds" as older people would say. I didn't need school anymore. I was going to be a famous singer songwriter. Or atleast I'd write for Hallmark. Oh, that thinking got me nowhere!!! Well, grounded I'll say. My grades suffered so badly that year that a friend and I decided we'd have a set of fake report cards...oh me, that is an entire other story. (God, please bless my poor mama and daddy again today in a special way) Needless to say, I learned many things the hard way. It would make my parents so angry at me because I really had great potential as a student when I would try. Eventually, I did become a more possitive student but could still kick myself for not really trying harder. You know, I wish someone besides my parents would have encouraged me. If someone had mentioned with the grades, I could use that to major in the things that actually interested me. In the early 80's you were encouraged to be a nurse or teacher...or something along those lines. Well, that bored me to tears!!! I never really could decide anything I'd rather be than a writer of some kind. When I had been married a few years, I began writing music again. Hank was totally supportive and, I recorded several songs over the years in Nashville and surrounding studios. My heart was no longer in the fame part though. God had taken over my heart so after some really bad choices, that dream begin to die.Little did I know, just for a new one to begin. That God always knows what He's doing!!! IMAGINE THAT! GOD BEING GOD! Well, I wrote a childrens book for my children for their bedtime story. Years later when my youngest daughter came home from college, she illustrated it. It is still in the drawer, but someday-----I began writing in journals all the time. I realized something through all this....that I am a writer. Can't spell and am not great at grammer rules either, but I love to write. I have to write. You know I, like many of you, have made really bad mistakes in my life. Some may say life altering. I never went on to school because I had 2 girls 20 months apart. I stayed home with them and we grew up together. I loved,after the first 10 years, being a wife and taking care of my little family! Then, when the girls were 11 and 9, we had Walt. Then the teenage life with two girs....who had time for anything else. I can't chew gum and walk so there is NO WAY I could have had a normal job or career and fulfilled the call on my life of taking care of my family. Now there's nothing wrong with women working and HOW I ADMIRE THEM!!!! My Kati is one of them. (She's one of my greatest heroes) I did work at our church with the youth for 7 years and that will for sure birth many stories later. Oh my will it ever!!! But , my heart has and always will be at home. It used to really bother me that I never went to school and got a degree. Somehow I felt like I was beneath others. Saddly, I was obviously looked down upon by others in our little town because of it too. But on this side of life, it doesn't bother me in the least. True, life could have been a little easier maybe and we may not have lived on top on one another in our tiny little house . But a dear, dear friend of mine told me once that our little family may not be as close if we'd had more room. You see, we never could get away from one another. And all I ever wanted to do is write. So, what am I doing right this very minute......writing. Life is good!! I have no regrets. The long field trips in life God used to teach me many lessons are the very things that make me , me. And I'm ok with that. And you know, if I were asked today what I want to be when I grow up --I'll still answer,"I think a writer of songs, books, and who knows.....Hallmark, watch out!!!!"
That's all for now.

LO