Bloom Where You're Planted.

I’ve done some pretty brave things in my life. I’ve bungee jumped and lived to tell about it. I stood in front of my graduating class and gave the valedictorian speech. I’ve even performed in front of crowds singing and playing an accordion. Those were all scary at the time, but I didn’t wonder later how I managed to accomplish them. Looking back, I had been nervous, yes—but not fearful.

After searching in all the dark corners for the bravest thing I’ve done, I would have to choose the point where I took up the reins of my life and said, “This isn’t working—things need to change.” Walking away from a broken marriage with two kids in tow wasn’t brave, it was self preservation. The fearless part came later. It came when I realized I couldn’t raise my kids on minimum wage and minimum child support. That the only chance I had to become independent would be to move away from family and friends and begin a new life in Texas.

After the move, I cleaned house and cooked to pay room and board while I went to school. But there were other expenses, so I worked part time drafting to make ends meet. Eventually, I graduated with an Associates Degree in Computerized Architectural Drafting and Design (CADD). I found a good job, saved my money, and after four years of sleeping on a friend’s couch, my children and I moved into a home of our own.

I bought a magnet when I first moved to Texas that said: Bloom Where You’re Planted. I put it on our refrigerator as a reminder that I couldn’t go back. Moving forward was my only option. I’ve been in Texas for twenty years now, and I realize those first four years away from friends and family were the most terrifying and lonely years of my life. Somehow, I moved through them as though I was fearless. One foot in front of another. One day at a time.

Eventually, life took another turn and I found I had the opportunity to chase an old dream – to publish the stories I kept locked in my heart. This latest adventure has just begun, and I hope I can face this challenge as fearlessly as I faced my struggle to bloom in Texas.

Passage: Book 1 - Soul of the Witch Trilogy - Available through Amazon