Personal Essays

I never forget when people describe or analyze me in a positive way. On my 76th birthday, I reflect on all those good things people have said about me over the years.

I've been taking photos since I was a boy. Back in those days, I still needed to have the film developed in a store! I am an art education and fine arts major. Learn more about my photographic journey!

Back and Forward is a short piece about Hindsight and Purpose.

The periwinkle was one of my Daddy's favorite flowers. It wasn't until after his recent death that I learned they BOTH had something in common!

Adopting a child through foster can be the most heart aching and rewarding process that a parent can go through. I went from being a single parent, and rock star restaurant manager and then I was a stay at home mom of four children navigating through the foster care system.

I have often wondered what gives life meaning. Is it love? Is it the things we earn? the goals we achieve or the one's we don't? When I find myself captivated in the space in between, I realize that I have everything and nothing altogether, and therefore I understand fulfillment.

The Wrong Words is a piece about my personal complications involving verbal communication, as opposed to written.

An ode to my dearly departed and much loved pekehund mixed breed dog.

You can walk on it. Kick it into a weakling's sand. Leave your lover's footprints in it.

A creators thoughts is a personal reflection on my gift from God and the way that I have chosen to use it.

She was simply one of a kind.

Shop owners meet all kinds of people in their daily work day. What kind of shopper are you?

Tears of Authenticity is a piece that I wrote about someone I love. Someone who is unique in every possible way but unfortunately is misunderstood and mistreated because she does not think or act the same way as most people. She will not change or conform, nor should she.

We all have felt regret at some point in our life. Regret for getting into a toxic relationship that affected our morale, or taking a job that we did not like or not following our passion. Regret for not taking risk to follow our dream and for not taking an opportunity because of fear of failure.

"One Lone Soul" is a short piece about learning what it is like to take someone for granted. We all want someone to be there for us when we get older, but we don't appreciate what is right in front of us at the time.

Walking away from a religious cult and sheltered home life comes with more challenges than anyone can imagine. This story is the aftermath of escaping my former life and adjusting to my new one.

This is a personal opinion from a person as to what or how the people treat them who has emotional and/or psychological problems.

Bullies are everywhere and sometimes it can be hard to survive the cruelty they inflict. These are some of the situations I lived through.

Humble pie for two is a short piece about remaining humble no matter what the circumstances of your life may be.

The mind is dependent upon the condition of the soul, is my soul repentant and able to show me errors and grant me the ability to correct them in a timely manner or do I deposit them in my memory unsolved, as just another unsolved mystery.

Thoughts on freedom of expression in the USA.

Greed to Gratitude is a piece about realizing what is truly important in our lives and not getting too hung up on materialism or things of this world.

To Keep Moving Forward is a short piece about not living in the past and focusing only on the future.

Covid took my mother from me.

Bird cages and caged birds represent one of the most inhumane human practices since ancient times. These beautiful creatures must be left free into the skies instead of being chained for personal pleasure.

A Stubborn Soul Purpose is a piece about the subconsious mind and how powerful it truly may be. It is a reflection on the opinion that we all have a specific gift or purpose that we are born with.

Corona Pandemic; news of deaths, sounds of cries, thoughts of "what next?" Amidst all this, how did I reach the decision to get myself vaccinated.

Here, in the 21st century, women are just starting to create a name for themselves. In the beginning it was considered a "man's world" but now more and more you see the power grit and determination of what was once called the "fairer sex" coming into play.

My thoughts on personal power and changing how I perceive other peoples' words and actions.

Moncofa is a beautiful and paradoxical place on the northeast coast of Spain. Let me take you on a journey through it.

Creativity cannot be taken casually as it expresses the divine. It’s an act of worship. Look at some reasons for artist’s block and spiritual growth solutions.

Many years ago, there lived a man who was given the moniker of Crow Killer. He was real, he was larger than life, and he did kill Crow Indians, but not without reason.

"Si" by Bob Ong is not only a story about a man chronicling his life of love, but also a story about the different kinds of love we have in life.

Here’s my motherly, prayerful tribute to fathers. Whether the father is a young man at the start of the journey, or an older dad with adult children, he is covered in this prayer.

Our dreams don't identify us who we are -- it's what we do; and what we do may have very little to do with those dreams we have. So it seems to be the case with America.

While the pandemic has been a huge challenge for all of us, it has also given us opportunities for introspection.

Father's Day is coming up and I want to share something important I learned from my dad.

A Feeling in the Wind is a short piece that I wrote when I discovered how much I truly love to write and create beautiful things, and also to share my writing with others who may need to hear it.

Not caring denotes different things to different people. In this post I am revealing my own, with some of its outlandishly enjoyable results.

We are all unique individuals, but not everyone has saved their individuality from familial and social indoctrination. This story is about one such case.

Will you join me for a walk with my dogs? We had a surprise visitor, and I would love for you to meet her.

Our journey involves a series of mantras we believe as true, we shout from the rooftops, we repeat them under our breath… until they no longer work. We find ourselves so set on what the world is and how to conquer it.

Over the last 100 years, the name Michael has held the top spot 44 times. That's more often than any other male name.