Opening Post

I've always loved words.  At times I loved reading them and other times I loved writing them.

As a child, I loved picture books and stories filled with words.  I remember receiving a copy of The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman as a graduation gift from my kindergarten teachers.  I felt so special walking out with this beautiful bright pink hardcover book.  I read it as much as I possibly could in between my favorite horse books.  

I'd say between the ages of middle school and college my reading was minimal or non-existent.  I read what I was asked to read at school and little beyond that.  It wasn't that I didn't enjoy words during that time.  Instead, I preferred to write.  I found myself writing letters to long lost family members and significant people in my life that needed to hear a little cheer every so often. 

Thankfully, one of my dear friends and mentors (Mindi Rench) encouraged and inspired me to be a reader again.  Once a teacher, I felt the need to immerse myself in books.  It was then that I began with the Twilight series.  My passion for reading was unstoppable.  Since then I've devoured books and experienced a number of genres I never even fought I'd enjoy.  I've learned about myself as a reader, a mother, and a teacher.  The knowledge I've gained from reading has assisted me in all of those areas.

I sit here on my mom's beautiful porch in Randolph, Vermont and feel inspired to write words about the life I live, the peace and balance I seek in life, the entertainment and frustrations I experience as a mother, and the author's crafts I experience in books.  

Perhaps my inspiration to write also comes from a recent experience at the funeral of a second cousin who passed away this past week.  The reverend presiding over the picturesque cemetery service mentioned that headstones and grave markers provide so little information about the person beneath.  The markers identify the person's start and end dates with just a little dash - in between to signify all that happened in his/her life.  I was touched by that.  One dash doesn't nearly seem to be enough to identify the qualities, accomplishments, or impact on others the person being memorialized achieved during his/her life. 

Sadly, my family, like many others, is all too familiar with loss.  People say life's too short all the time without realizing that it truly is.  To be so simply represented by a dash on a stone is not enough.  

Without further ado, I've decided to document some of my experiences and observations as a mother, learner, writer, and reader here.  Perhaps my children will learn that their mother's dash was much more than just a little line.

Sarah