Voice Lessons

So much to tell you, yet nothing to say

As the New Year begins, I look back and am amazed at the progress I have made. I have met so many friends here, and feel that some of my closest friendships began here at WDC. Although there are many friends and family in my life, they do not understand my progress.  When I tell them that I was promoted to a preferred author, or that my contest was nominated for a Quill Award, I get an empty “that’s great” or a blank stare. It means nothing to them. It is only here that I have friends who can appreciate the small successes I accomplish.  Yet it occurs to me that while I know many of you well, you may not know me except through posts in forums, or through emails. You see my name around, but don’t know much about me. “Why is this?” I ask myself. Because, unfortunately, I am not a blogger. I tried it once, but because I am such a perfectionist, I would keep going back to edit this or that. I couldn’t seem to write it and move on. But, I find this has really hurt me, as I have not been able to really get to know people. So, I want to try to do it this year.

So I guess I’ll start with the basics. I am a 39 (not 40 till August) year old stay at home mom. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah and am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (otherwise known as LDS or mormon.) I have been married for 21 years (since I was 18) and am a mother of 4 daughters. They are 17, 15, 12, and 8. Because of their ages, I have a lot of peace and quiet during school hours, and can think and write to my heart’s content. It can get a bit hard though. I suffered a head injury in an ATV accident about 10 years ago and now have a seizure disorder. As a result, I have a grand mal seizure every 10 – 12 weeks and have no driver’s license. This means I am also homebound. Sometimes, my peace and quiet can feel like imprisonment.  Although I have many friends and neighbors willing to help me get around, it can take 10 phone calls and a couple of hours just to get to the store to buy milk. I miss being able to be spontaneous. I have to make a list for everything when I go out, and since I am a bit ADD, that can really be a challenge. But, I digress…

I am not writing new things often, and only add new items to my portfolio around once a month.  Although I know I should be writing more, I am not really worried. I know God gave me this talent with a purpose in mind, and I am just following his lead. I am learning so much through reading, reviewing, and running my contests, that I truly feel this is where I should be at this time. I feel that I am meant to foster friendships and meet people that can help me find my path, and get me to my final destination.  I want to thanks all of you for your encouragement and reviews. I want to thank you for supporting and donating to my groups. I want to thank you for participating in my contests and sharing your talents with me. Your skill will make me a great writer. But, I want to thank these people individually.

Elle - on hiatus For encouraging and inspiring me to get my new project of the ground and helping me follow my path to my writing goals.
LostGhost: Seeking & Learning For being a great friend and support, and really getting to know me.
Marci Missing Everyone For being a kindred spirit
~ Santa Sisco ~ For letting me help out in the "Invalid Item"  and let me try new ideas.
Liam For giving me the opportunity to be an editor at Shadows Express e-zine and giving me the validation all writers need.
blue jellybaby For being a listening ear
~ Aqua ~ For her help and steadiness. She’s not a bad writer either.
Alexi For spoiling me and making me feel loved.
Dave For his amazing support and help in judging "Shadows and Light Poetry Contest" . It’s like having my very own poetry class and teacher. I couldn’t do it without him.
ANN Counselor, Lesbian & Happy   For being so much like me, yet a complete opposite. Luv ya.
Nada Philippe (a.k.a: R.H.N) For letting me commandeer her group and make some changes. Thank you so much for working with me.