I don’t think we start out broken but I also don’t think we start out whole and become broken by life.
I think we start out incomplete, like a started puzzle.
We take pieces and add them as we go.
Sometimes pieces we needed are lost and we must grieve.  That space can only be filled with memories.
Sometimes it takes years to realize that pieces we thought fit, just don’t.
When we have the strength, we remove those pieces.
Then we have a choice…search and fill those spaces with pieces that truly fit,
Or learn to love the pieces we have and accept that if something comes along that is meant to be part of our puzzle, there will always be space for it.
The key I think is to never leave those spaces empty…fill them with love, gratitude, kindness, hope and good things.
When a piece comes along that we choose to add, all those good things needn’t be removed, they simply become the glue that hold our pieces in place ❤

I’m sick of fighting, Tired of trying
Shedding tears with my hopes slowly dying
Caught in a whirlwind with no escape
Watching others dreams take shape
Feeling Alone, weary , and filled with regret
Pondering intentions that remain unmet
Days sadly wasted with no great stories to tell
I’ve created my own living version of hell

Hell wasn’t a place I wanted to be
And the space that I build is a product of me
I had fears to confront, pain to unfold
A life full of stories that needed to be told
So I packed up my pity and threw it away
A life lived intentional begins today
So now…

I keep fighting, keep trying
I still shed tears but my hope is far from dying
If I get caught in a whirlwind, I’ll get out
My dreams will take shape, I have no doubt
I know I’m not alone thinking about choices I’ve made
And I look to the future unafraid
Days spent reflecting and growing in grace
It may not be Heaven, but I love this space

I talked to a star on a walk one eve
The path I take when seeking reprieve
I asked how it sparkled and shined so bright
I asked why it only came out at night
I pondered the reason it shone so proud
Even when it’s light was blocked by clouds
The star replied, walk with me daughter
See how my light reflects on the water?
You see a star bright in the sky
And I look down and see the light in your eye
I give my light for you to see
And you in turn give light back to me
You see me sparkle, and glitter and dance
Like a beacon enveloping you in a sweet soothing trance
Only when the sun’s hidden in shadow
In the darkest of nights do you see my glow
But always I’m here, always I shine
For the light that I carry is not only mine
I carry the light of the fallen stars
I shine for the weary, the Broken and scarred
I do not waver or flicker about
For my love I have no room for destructive self doubt
When peace seems far and days leave you sad
Remember this little talk we had
When the world tries to smother your beautiful luster
Dig down deep with all the strength you can muster
Light up the world for others to see
Then smile and send a little wave to me

One little leaf desperately holds on
Faded, weathered, tattered, and torn
Inevitably destined to fall from the tree
It hangs on for dear life as it fights the breeze
Fate predetermined,  future set in stone
Where others moved on, it remains alone
Bathing in the sun, soaking up the last bits of light
It watches as dusk takes over the sky
Now engulfed in the moons shimmer of white
The lone little leaf catches a sad child’s eye
He walks to the tree and leans on its base
And the leaf sees a tear fall from his face
Not another drop waits in his eyes
And the lonely leaf stares pondering why
Soon The child’s face turns from sad to content
And the leaf wonders where the teardrop went
The child stands straight and says with a sigh
“I can move on now, I needed that cry”
He turns to the leaf and says with a wink
“It’s time to let go, moving on won’t be as hard as you think”

She thought you stole a piece of her
The part that made her whole
Forever broken, damaged and torn
A lost little girl searched for her soul
As time grew on she tried to add pieces
But she could never find a perfect fit
Til one day she stopped looking and took a step back
Viewing the past she could finally see it
The space wasn’t empty, your memory was there
So she sat with her pain and gave it heed
Slowly she began filling the space
with memories, hurt, and healing grace
No longer reaching for fallen stars
She mended her own wounds using stories as scars
Accepting the pain as a part of her soul
She realized then she was always whole

​Warriors…so many warriors of love in this world who go unnoticed…I guess instead of venting and spewing,  it’s time to share light, love, courage, and  people who live ordinary lives doing ordinary things who make an extraordinary impact on the people around them.

She is a warrior mom, a warrior friend, a woman who refuses to let life have the last laugh.  In her words ” I guess that’s what I’m most proud of is that I refuse to stick my head in the sand and ever give up… granted, I’ve thought about it a time or two, but every time I do, I think about all of the people I love, love me, and have supported me and my decisions over the years.”  

And to be clear, though we won’t dive into them,  she has had her share of life kicking her, and then kicking her again while she’s down…but she isn’t down…she keeps getting back up.

As a single mom working full time, she went back to school and earned her Bachelor’s degree. She says “That was tough! But walking across that stage and knowing that my daughter was watching and knowing that I did it all for “us”, made all of the blood/sweat/tears all worth it! Ok… there was no blood. 😉 But yeah, that has probably been one of my proudest moments.” 

Heather isn’t immune to feeling defeated, to being angry at the curve balls life throws, she feels it all; yet she will be there to help  a friend or even friends of friends without a thought.   She is that person that uses her struggles to help others in her shoes, whether it’s directly, or by showing us through her own life that we can survive. She radiates love and life and laughter and she is dearly loved.

She is a warrior of inspiration…a warrior of living life, and a warrior of finding her own way in a dark, unknown and letting us all know we can do it too.

“Times are tough, but “OTSS” is my daily mantra.”-warrior Heather.

Warrior Heather, you are THE STRONG and you’re raising a strong one too.  You give hope to women, mom’s and everyone who knows and loves you. 

I don’t know if you even like Pat Benatar, but I’m pretty sure “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” was written for warriors like you.

​Warriors…so many warriors of love in this world who go unnoticed…I guess instead of venting and spewing,  it’s time to share light, love, courage, and  people who live ordinary lives doing ordinary things who make an extraordinary impact on the people around them.

“Use your privilege to change the world” the quote that most embodies Ms. Fancy.  I’m not sure in a short little blog post I can convey the love and hate in this fiery woman’s heart and soul.  Her heart is full of love; love for humanity, love for those in need, love for those who…well for those who need love.  Ms Fancy is love, and yet she holds open  a bit of space for hatred…hatred for racism, bigotry, homophobia, inequality, and hypocrisy.  

A mother and a career woman, Fancy can cook a gourmet booze filled meal while saying words that’d make Eddie Murphy blush and still leave you feeling like you’re completely surrounded by love.(she might not like me saying this…but sorry Fancy, it’s true…love isn’t confined to social norms, love is feels…and you bring them )

Warrior Fancy will mince no words when it comes to human rights, and she wastes no time on people who spread hatred.   She won’t keep you around on fb so she can troll your racist comments, she does what a warrior does…deletes your ass and moves on.

She spends her spare time cooking, living, loving and working on a start up organization to fund scholarships for college bound youth in the arts field by selling children’s artwork.

I’ve reached out to her and gotten honest advice on potty training, teaching kids about racism, and my own writing.  

She grew up in a town where different was NOT ok…where it got you labeled, feared, rumored about and beyond.  She left podunk and never blinked.   

She saw and witnessed firsthand the true inhumane treatment that our fellow humans face everyday and she was NOT ok with it. She didn’t turn her head away from the pain of seeing it, she turned INTO the pain and faced it head on with a heart full of piss and vinegar and a dash of love and never looked back.

Fancy and I disagree on some things, mostly our spiritual beliefs, and I don’t love her in spite of that…I love her because of it.  She is FANCY, she radiates love and vulgarity and fun and she isn’t about acceptance, because acceptance implies settling, or tiers of humanity where those who think they are better get to decide who is OK.  She makes no apologies and she’s never asked me to make any for who I am either.  

She doesn’t like prayer, and I do. She likes the “C” word , I don’t.   

Fancy, you are what this world needs right now.  A heart who cares, a head who has no tolerance for ass backward thinking and a soul who longs to connect and live and love and laugh.  For the love of Fancy, she camps with Tiaras and gowns..  ROCK ON WARRIOR FANCY, you are a change maker.

​Warriors…so many warriors of love in this world who go unnoticed…I guess instead of venting and spewing,  it’s time to share light, love, courage, and  people who live ordinary lives doing ordinary things who make an extraordinary impact on the people around them.

My mom, a young woman with 3 children aged 15, 12 and 9 whose Husband, best friend, and father to her 3 children left this world unexpectedly.   She went from a wife out on a date night with her beloved, to a widow, in a matter of less than 24 hours.  She was there through sports practices, games, forenics, all the extra curriculars, jobs, licenses, college applications, grandkids, marriages, moves,  ups downs and in between.  We never thought to wonder if she was ok…she was mom, she was always ok…though I know now that could never have been true.  But she put on her warrior armor and she fought her pain to pull us thru.  Mom, you ARE a warrior,  you stand strong for your beliefs, you don’t let the naysayers change your heart.  You have taught us to BE who we are and never apologize. Hold your head high warrior mom, you raised 3 children who live, and love and who know that God gave us you, because we’d need a warrior to carry us til you taught us to walk and fight, for love, on our own.

Warriors…so many warriors of love in this world who go unnoticed…I guess instead of venting and spewing,  it’s time to share light, love, courage, and  people who live ordinary lives doing ordinary things who make an extraordinary impact on the people around them.

A dear friend, who has struggled since she was 13 years old with schizo affective  disorder.  We met years ago at work.  A beautiful, vibrant young lady with a passion for her own fashion, and all things eclectic; she was the first truly old soul in a young body I have known.  (And may i just say her fashion sense is amazing, original and bold-and I ADORE IT.)  She loves owls, tattoos,  her husband, good beer, people, and God.  She left her family to move two hours away to Milwaukee, (after commuting to and from for quite a while)  with her husband, got a new job, found new friends, a new church, and started volunteering in inner city Schools. She did all this while dealing with a mental illness that affects her daily life . I can’t even  WANT to do these things on my best days. She publicly shared her plight with mental illness on Facebook 2 years ago, with the hopes to help others in her shoes. She struggles daily in ways most of us can’t even comprehend and yet, she finds,  no… she MAKES the time and effort to give, to share her story, to get off her ass and HELP people! 

Bobbi is a beautiful face with an even more beautiful soul.  Someone who sent Christmas cards to my kids, just to simply make them smile…someone who isn’t afraid to show her true self, and by doing so inspires me to do the same.  In a world full of people trying to fit in, Bobbi instead finds a way to make others feel they belong…when I think of Brene Brown’s work on courage, vulnerability and #risingstrong  , Bobbi comes to mind.

Bobbi you are a warrior.  You are  strong, loving, and confident.   You are the perfectly placed lady to show the world that mental illness is…well it just IS. It doesn’t define a person. I am beyond proud to know you♡♡♡♡♡♡