Now, if I couldn’t get my work done, I don’t get paid overtime, but the fine women and men of our esteemed legislature do. They threatened to cut funding to Human Services by 50% at a time when people need us most. It is still unresolved as of today. So I have been staging marches and protests, gathering signatures, and rallying the troops to make sure we are heard.

On top of that we moved our main office which has been in the same location for the last 23 years. To say that it was a monumental undertaking, would be an understatement. But, we were able to get it all done.

Needless to say, I have had very little time to focus on my writing.

However, it is life’s events that give my writing meaning. It is the need to describe these things I see, feel, hear, taste, and smell through writing that makes it so………….. exciting. Not only can I share the experience with the reader, but maybe, just maybe, it will inspire the reader to have his or her own experiences.

I remember when I was young reading about faraway places and people doing remarkable things. We never traveled far from home, never more than a days drive and an overnight stay. One place I read about was Yellowstone National Park in an old National Geographics Magazine my Da picked up at one of the local flea markets. I read every word and stared at the pictures in wonderment. Of course, there aren’t any mountains in Illinois. I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to go there.

It wasn’t until many years later, when I was 27 that I finally got my wish. It was my first trip outside the Midwest. I wish I could describe to you what it felt like to lay eyes on mountains for the very first time, but I don’t have the words. All that I can tell you is that it was a joyful feeling, but so much more than that.

The destination was Yellowstone National Park. Everything I saw in that magazine so many years ago paled in comparison to the real thing. My favorite place was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The brilliant shear golden canyon walls touched with warm oranges and reds, took my breath away. At the bottom of the valley was the river contrasting beautifully with it’s blues, greens, and frothy white rapids. The waterfalls with their deafening roars reminded me of just how small I am in comparison.

Would I have ever journeyed to Yellowstone had I not read that article? Would it have meant as much to me? Would I have taken that journey? Would I have been simply content to read about it and not experience it for myself? Anyone who knows me, knows better.

I think that is one of many reasons why I write. I want to take people on a journey to places here on earth, in another world, or sometimes within themselves.