My Computer Fleece

There are so many ideas I have to share. I guess that is a good thing as a writer, teacher, trainer, and speaker!


One idea comes to mind from many years ago. I had felt that this idea of “writer” had been imprinted on my heart, my soul, deep within me. When I first felt it, I thought “no way, not me, I can’t do that.” I am a faithful person and I believed that this idea came from a greater power than me. And so, I did what many faithful people have done over the years. I sent out a fleece.

I first heard of the concept of a fleece from a friend of mine, Trish, and she shared that the concept of fleecing came from the Bible. She gave me some passages and I researched it, making me a believer in fleecing. Over the years, occasionally, I have sent out fleeces and waited for answers.

A fleece is something that really has no chance of happening, something that would definitely be out of the ordinary. The fleece I sent out for my writing was, “Lord, if I am to be a writer, please give me a free computer.” At the time, computers were becoming popular and I didn’t have one, nor did I have the budget to acquire one.

A week later, Annette and Joe Hatton, at my Toastmaster’s Group, casually mentioned in passing – “If you know anyone that needs a computer, we have one. We just upgraded our computers.” I asked them how much they wanted for it. They said, “Nothing, we are just giving it away.” With that, I graciously accepted the computer...and began writing.

I have been the type of person who feels a prompting, an intuition, a direction and follows it without really knowing where it will end up. Over the years I have written poetry, training manuals, sales brochures, etc. Then about ten years after that, I was walking out of church with a friend who I had known for a few years. She had no knowledge of my writing, or interest in writing. She shared that her husband was starting a community newspaper.

I shared my story with her and she suggested I call her husband, which I did. I ended up writing for them monthly for six years.  All from my computer fleece years earlier!

Performing Art and a Lady's Dream

I am deeply inspired by people who are passionate about their dreams, passionate about their lives. The energy they exude is contagious and exciting!


I recently met with someone I have known for a number of years and she shared her dream, her passion. I knew her as a comedian, inspired by her craft. When I knew her she had shows across the country. She speaks on socially relevant issues – issues to make people think. She expresses herself through comedy and the performing arts. She is passionate about helping women in the world of performing artists, where she feels females are underrepresented. Her passion led her to start her non-profit earlier this year and she has monthly programs at a local coffeehouse where female artists can showcase their original work. She also has guest speakers each month on different socially relevant topics, where artists, showcasing their original work can perform together. She follows the program each month with a poetry slam, comedy slam, improv, or some other type of open mic, fun, interactive experience.

She has a program slated for March 2011 and is looking for female performing artists. Her goal is to help the Tampa Bay area become nationally recognized with female artists speaking out about socially relevant issues. Check her information out at: http://www.newseedsfest.org./

Thank you Suzanne for following your heart, your passion, and inspiring others… including me.

Ink in the DNA?

Does a parent’s dream become your dream? Does it pass through the genes at birth? Is it part of your DNA? Does the unspoken love of something transfer through osmosis from parent to child, from friend to lover?


I never thought about it until it happened to me. I pursued a dream that had been pressed upon my heart from what I believe to have been my holy spirit. That dream was to write. When I first had this dream, I thought, “Oh yeah, right. I can’t right.”. Writing to me was drudgery when I was young. It didn’t do anything for me as a school age child. Yet, somehow this dream, impressed deep within my heart and soul as an adult, yelled at me, inspired me, grabbed hold of me and wouldn’t be ignored. And so, I started writing.

One of my writing experiences led me to write for a friend who’s husband began a community newspaper. I wrote for them monthly for six years. I loved writing.

It was during this time that I learned that my father had written for his college newspaper. I thought, how funny. I don’t think I knew this. Maybe I did but it wasn’t important at the time. I’m curious. Is there anyone out there that finds their own passions to be the same as their parents’? Not because your parent pushes you into it, but because you just thoroughly enjoy it?

The Flying Dream

When I was young, I use to dream about flying. I dreamed the most amazing journeys, flying to the tree in front of my house, gliding through the streets and buildings, many that I didn’t recognize. I was dancing in flight, exploring new buildings and old. There was a tenderness, a joy, a peace that I remember feeling from these repeated dreams of my childhood.

To me it was very funny years later, in my adulthood, when I began traveling for work. As I looked out of the airplane window, seeing the clouds, I would remember those dreams of yesteryear and think how lucky I was to be living my dream, a dream I never realized would predict my future.

As I reflected often on the clouds outside my window, the soft cotton balls that requested me to reach out and touch them, the whispers to rest in their safety, to explore their chambers, to glide along their hallways I rested in the peace their provided, the warmth they generated in my heart.

I guess for me traveling as always been part of my spirit. I have said, “The world is my playground.” I have been blessed to play a little in my playground over the years.

Internet Marketing, Writing, and Timing

It is interesting how, when a person is open to an idea or something new, that all of a sudden opportunities, experiences, or people enter that person’s life – meeting that need, desire, or thought. At least, that is how it has worked for me over the years. Last year, as I went through re-inventing myself after being laid off from a job I loved I became very interested in learning all I could about internet marketing. With a background in marketing, training, speaking, and writing I felt this is the wave of the future and would help me share information with the world, as well as build an income. I investigated much information last summer and then accepted a job teaching during this past school year. Again this summer I am investigating and learning more about this field. Another goal this summer was to do more with my writing. I learned about a writer’s critique group through Florida Writer’s Association (http://www.floridawriters.net/) and have been interested all year in attending a meeting and learning more about this group. I finally had the chance to do this several weeks ago, and someone I met at the writer’s critique group told me about a meetup group that focused on Internet Marketing and provided great information.

I visited this group for the first time a week later and I was blown away. What an interesting, motivated, talented group of professional people. They meet at different places around the Tampa Bay area weekly. You can find more information about them at http://www.thewealthbuildingannex.com/ or through www.meetup.com/tbwaonline .

This group was started by someone in transition, with a passion to share their experiences and help others along the way. The energy of this group was exciting, contagious, positive. Thank you Chris for your leadership!

The Walk That Made History Come Alive

I was reared in a family of faith yet during high school I prayed a prayer to help me know how real God was. My life journey has been one that has shown me his love, his strength, his courage all through my life.

It was especially a gift when our cruise ship landed in Turkey at Ephesus. It is my understanding that this was where the book of Ephesians from the New Testament was inspired. We passed the Corinth River, referenced in the Bible and stood in the stadium where Christians were thrown to the Lions. We walked along the road Paul walked along, and stood where the library was mentioned in the Bible.

For me, this was just another piece of my life journey – that I could have never imagined in my wildest dreams – that answered the prayer I prayed in high school.

Once again, history became alive for me. I felt I gained a new understanding, a new connection with stories I’d read and heard about for years.

To me, it always goes back to learning about people different than yourself, cultures different than where you grew up, customs different than you practice, and beginning to understand both the similarities and differences that people all around the world, all across the country, share.

After all, we are all one thing. We are all human. We all have that in common.

A Castle In Ireland? Close!

Our big extended family often joked about renting a castle in Ireland and going with a big group of us to Ireland for a month. I truly didn’t think that would ever become reality. I later learned that it was the beginning seed of something great to come.

Years later, as we sat in the auction at my nephew’s private school, supporting the cause and helping raise money for his education one of the “live auction” items was a week in Ireland at a house another person associated with that school owned. And so, we bid. We didn’t get it. It went for a lot of money. We later researched how much it would be to rent a house in Ireland.

Every year, for probably about the next five years, we would bid on the house. We knew our limit and we knew the value. Finally, one year, within our budget, no one outbid us. We were going to Ireland!!!!!! A dream come true for a family 300% Irish in their hearts, although only partially Irish in reality!

The trip grew to about seven of us, cousins, father, sisters, nieces. We spent a week in Sneem, south of Shannon at the end of the Ring of Kerry.

We lived our Irish dream!