: About Me

Who am I?

I am
Kansas.

nesting box for songbirds
safe place for butterflies.

I am faithoverfear
new day
dawning sometimes.

I am the courage
to try.

I am the courage
to love.

I am weeding things from the garden,
I am writing a new chapter,
I am hope opening,
pages unfolding...
I am one step at a time,
taking back my life.
I am this
Rose slowly climbing...
reaching for the sun,
the beauty left behind me,
the moment yet to come.

Poetry at live journal
http://kansas93.livejournal.com/

A poet, journalist, short story writer, I've been published on many sites around the world wide web, and over half my income is generated through my writing career.

A survivor of domestic violence, I left a 12 year relationship with 3 small children in tow, and spent many years after, running for my life. When I was later presented with the opportunity to help other women who were leaving their abusive relationships, I took it. The next 8 years were spent working with the women and children of Shelter Inc. in Oscoda, Michigan. I began my career as a crisis intervention service provider, later becoming the Transitional Housing Children's Program Advocate. Finally, after completing the necessary courses, I began a program for both adult and child survivors of abuse, and continued my work for the next several years as a Trauma and Loss Specialist. For these reasons, and many others, the poem above has significant meaning for me.

More recently, I have devoted my time and efforts over the past year to the Iosco County 4-H Peer Mentoring Program, as the program coordinator. A Learn and Serve program, sponsored in part by the Michigan State University Extension Office, peer mentoring involves training teens to mentor younger children, then matching them with a "mentee" based on shared likes and interests. Our youth work together on community service projects, which they both plan and implement. Our mentors and mentees meet every week, and spend about an hour and a half together, engaging in fun, and educational activities. It's been an exciting year, building this program from the ground up. In October of 2007 we began the program with nothing but some core ideas, and a grant to help us get going. Since then we have recruited and trained more than 30 teen mentors. Each of those mentors was also matched with a younger child, who they now meet with on a weekly basis.

On another note, I am very happy to say that both my son and my daughter have joined Helium. Jordan, my daughter, joined a while ago, on a bet. She told me that she bet she could write a poem that would beat out one of mine. I knew she could, because she honestly has more talent in her little toe than I have in all of my body, but of course I said "Bring it on!" The funny thing is her poem is number 6 out of 95, and mine is at something like number 62! (I love that poem though. It stays where it is, even if others don't appreciate it as much as I do.) Ok, so Jordan's poem is better. She also smarter, prettier, more talented and amazing at 15 than I could ever hope to be, and I'm very proud of her.

My son Jay joined Helium just this week. He writes beautiful songs, and poems, and is very good with words and deep thoughts. I am very glad he joined up (finally) as he needs a positive channel for all of his creative energy and insight. Helium will be a great place for him to develop some of that talent in the days and months to come.

My passion is ...

loving people

I know too much about ...

being hurt

My parents always told me ...

don't like to think about that!

My childhood ambition ...

to be a writer, what else?

My favorite memory ...

Yesterday, today, last week... I've been making a lot of them lately

Why I write ...

because if I didn't I wouldn't exist

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

silence- which I adore

My first job ...

babysitter

My best moment ...

this one

My inspiration ...

Tom, Jay, Josh, Jordan

Creative Writing > Reflections Reflections: What would you consider to be the most important things that have been a major inspiration in your life and why?

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Inspiration can come from all sorts of circumstances, people and events in your life. First and foremost God has been my greatest inspiration, all my life. From my very earliest childhood memories of the little brick church my mother would take my brothers and I to, to just a few hours ago, listening to my friend prepare for the reading he is doing in church tomorrow... It may sound like a pat response, but I assure you it's not. There have been many times in my life when Jesus was my only friend. I have strength and hope and faith and courage because of Him, and nothing else. Life's trial...

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