And so I begin.

In my mind I see a patchwork quilt.  You know the kind I’m talking about.  One made from remnants and scraps:  bits of the shirt you wore on your first day of kindergarten; a piece of the blue jeans your dad wore all the time; a section of that hideous tablecloth your mom always had on the table at Thanksgiving.  All those leftovers from the life you've lived.  So many memories woven so intricately into a 3x3 square of fabric.  Then all those squares—each one having a texture and color and style of its own—carefully stitched together to form a quilt, a warmth-giving covering, whose overall loveliness is as dependent on the ugly squares as it is on the beautiful ones.

I recently came to the realization that my life is exactly like that patchwork blanket.  The people, the places, the experiences of my past and present are each a block which makes up my covering.  While individually they may seem extreme or plain, off-center or perfect, brilliant or lackluster, they all come together in a well-designed masterpiece. 

My desire for this little blog is simply expression…of my gratitude, my awe, my hope, and even my frustrations sometimes.  I have learned in thirty-five years that all of those are important.  That even the sour notes in life are a part of it and that those sour notes don’t mean we've gone wrong…they simply mean we have room to improve, to grow, to learn.  And don’t we all want those things?  I know I do.

I will be posting bits and pieces of my life here.  I will share with you those things that have touched my heart and some that have made me think.  I hope to make you smile a bit, think a bit more, and believe a lot.  I know that I cannot change lives with a blog, but perhaps I can help you take a look at your own life so you can make your own transformation.