When I was a young girl growing up in the Midwest, I never imagined the turns my life would take. I couldn’t have foreseen the premature deaths of family members. I wouldn’t have believed that after obtaining a degree in occupational therapy and working in the field for nearly a decade, I would later study and practice astrology. As a young adult, I would have laughed if someone had told me that when I was older I would believe in past lives, especially considering my conservative Christian upbringing.  I didn’t envision that a very public journal about my daughter would turn into a book. I never imagined losing a child. Yet, here I am.

Now I am a writer and soon-to-be published author, a part-time astrologer, a frequent caregiver, a pediatric cancer research advocate, a friend, and a bereaved mom. From the suburbs of Ohio, I now live on an island in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, two dogs, and a cat; my grown sons and grandchildren live nearby.

I love… drinking strong black coffee and oaky chardonnays… filling my house with flowers picked from my garden...baking pies, cakes, and cookies… reading by the fire on a foggy Northwest day… walking for miles on the island… running on Cannon Beach… singing in a choir…listening to live indie folk music…organizing events…getting away with my husband to remote towns…connecting people and ideas…giving handmade gifts that I have sewn, painted, or baked…cheering on extraordinary athletes and my not-yet-famous grandchildren…watching favorite rom-coms over and over…getting pedicures and hot stone massages…cuddling with my dogs and cats on the couch…having weekly heartfelt conversations with my girlfriends…spending time alone…listening to a really good story…welcoming my boys back home. I hate… saying goodbye.