My favorite childhood gift sets on the bookshelf in my home office. Published by Witman Publishing Company in 1955, 365 Bedtime Stories is a book I received from my Great Aunt Ruth and Great Uncle Pete for Christmas in 1966. I was six years old at the time.  As I read the book over and over again, I fell in love with the written word. It didn’t take long for my fascination with reading to turn into a love affair with writing.

A trail of hand-written diaries, notebooks, and journals followed me into adulthood. Though penned at different ages, they all reveal the heart of a young farm girl who dreamed of growing up to be a writer – dreams really do come true!

I left farm life behind when I fell in love  and married my high school sweetheart who had enlisted in the Marine Corps. Going from a being a small town farm girl to being a military wife was quite an adventure. We moved 13 times in 14 years. It wasn’t always an easy lifestyle, but the friends we made and the experiences we had were worth it. After 14 years of service in the Marines, my husband was honorably discharged and became a long-distance truck driver.

I have four wonderful children and seven adorable grandchildren. I was a stay-at-home mom for 34 years, and I would not trade the years spent raising my children for anything. I was married for 40 years before becoming a widow, unexpectedly, on August 12, 2016.

I work as a freelance writer and blogger. I also work as a medical transcriptionist part time.  I’m grateful to be able to do something I love for a living and work from home – my favorite place in the world.

I’m an imperfect Christian woman who is learning to walk by faith on the journey of life.  I falter and stumble many times. In fact, I wonder why God puts up with me, but I’m so thankful for his amazing grace that saved a mess like me.

I enjoy the simple things in life, and I feel blessed to live in an area surrounded by the beauty of nature and wildlife.  Walks through the woods and time spent by the pond at my mountainside home are where I find the inspiration for much of my writing.

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, serving on the connections team and prayer team at my church, leading a small group for widows, studying the Bible, photography, reading, cooking, baking, sewing, quilting, bird watching, gardening, listening to music, and being outdoors enjoying the world God created.

I’ve often been called old-fashioned, and that’s fine with me.  I love hanging laundry outside to dry, and I think washing dishes by hand is good therapy.  I’ve never met another person who loves washing dishes by hand, but I know there has to be at least one more out there somewhere!

My desire is to encourage women to pursue a relationship with God. Having a personal relationship with God is the first step on the pathway to true freedom and contentment in life.

My favorite writing quote –

 “Ink on paper is as beautiful to me as flowers on the mountains; God composes, why shouldn’t we?”   ~Audra Foveo-Alba