My Blog Circle:

I am a writer and I believe in the wisdom and viability of women over fifty.

I grew up in a small town nestled at the foot of Ramapo mountains in suburban NY. I was blessed with a good education even though I fought it every step of the way ~ it has helped me apply reason to my natural tendency towards immersion in feelings and emotionalism.

I have a B.A. in economics and an M.Div. in theology and pastoral counseling ~ so you see the disconnect. I have been and always will be simply a student of life, working over time to figure things out as I go along.

My husband and my children are my life and they keep be grounded. We stay afloat by a home improvement business we began almost twenty years ago and live with all the chaos self-employment creates. I the business and began writing full time about five years ago, both to keep my sanity and save our marriage. I have never been happier.

How did you get to where you are now?

Where am I now? The question implies that our goal in life is to achieve something ~ mine has always been to love better each day and to learn to live an authentic life ~ it has been a very crooked path and I still have much to learn.

How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

I have been able to set myself free in the last ten years. I have gone from being a woman whose life was focused on the needs of others to one who has come to understand the value of connecting to my own creativity and inner strength and putting my needs on the continuum of importance. It has been a fabulous journey and I am a far better and happier person because of it.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In ten years from now I see being myself being that much further along the path toward authentic living. I see myself using more of my talents and abilities to help and inspire others on their journies and more at peace with what life brings my way. There will be challenges but I hope to be better equipped to handle them.

Wow girl, you didn't know what you had! But you can forgive yourself for your innocence and naivete ~ you didn't have the tools to see who you really were. You didn't realize that your family of origin didn't "get you" ~ that they couldn't reflect to you who you really were or help you on your journey. In spite of that, you did amazingly well at navigating the difficult course that was laid out for you and you should be proud of yourself and what you've accomplished in spite of being partially blind.

I can't say that I really have any. Bruce Springsteen epitomizes the creative genius that lives within each of us. He is my inspiration and my guide. I admire actresses like Meryl Streep, Sally Fields, Judi Dench and so many others who have insisted and shown that women over fifty are a powerful and important voice still deserving an audience. The great spiritual teachings of Kierkegaard, Niebuhr, Bonehoffer, Camus, C.S. Lewis and so many others formed the foundation of my beliefs and writings. Now that women have more of a voice in that regard I find myself drawn to the writings of Marianne Williamson, Martha Beck, Clarissa Pinkola Estes and so many others. They have taken hold of the mantel and are leading the way.