Words from the Heart

Writers and artists will tell you that the Muse visits at the most unpredictable times. It is all too true. Most often, my Muse visits in the wee hours of morning before dog or human is up. Or, she comes wistfully whispering lines of poetry or prose as I am tooling down the highway with no place to stop. As a young student, writing was assigned an hour a day by the my teachers. The idea of Muse, or inspiration, or creativity somehow escaped their drive to "teach" us to write. I remember the exasperation one of my instructors had when after an hour of sitting with blank sheet and pen in hand, not so much as a scratch had been placed on the paper. "But Sister," I said, "I just don't feel inspired." You can imagine the response I got! Funny, all those years ago, I had been told I would never be a "real" writer, whatever that is. Fortunately for me, I had a mother who believed that if you put pen to paper linking words in a way that informs, ente...

After over fifty years in this existence, I am well aware that the Universe often sends us the answers to our prayers when we least expect it. When I was little, I prayed for a little girl of my own to love. I was the oldest of four; my siblings all boys. I wanted another female to share life with, a daughter to love the way I wanted to be loved. I have, not one, but four daughters, a step-daughter, and two grand-daughters to date! I asked that I could get a degree after the school I was attending lost its accreditation, giving me only a certificate for the two years I spent studying instead of an Associates Degree. Thirty years later, I graduated second highest in my program with a BA in Creative Writing for Spiritual Health. Now I am finishing up my M.Ed. in Language, Literacy and Culture/Reading & Writing. I long time ago I prayed that a friend I had hurt would come back into my life so that I could ask forgiveness. We were only kids when last we met. I was not mature enough to...