My father was "gypsy-like " in his approach to work,and we have moved a lot. In doing so we have been exposed to a lot more variety where people, places and situations are concerned than most people. Makes one very independant and quite tolerant and cosmopolitan. Have been home-taught as well as going to a lot of different schools. It doesn't make for constancy and roots, but does make one interesting. I am a "people watcher" rather like the old lady in my story abstractions, I glean bits of mine and other people's lives to feed my stories. Possibly the greatest gift I have is empathy, because I can "feel" myself in someone else's situation. My greatest influences in life are my family (read my story "Once we were Four" which will tell you more) and my very last English teach at school Rodney Jack KImble to whom I dedicated my story "Oh KImble My Captain"

About to publish my first anthology! Co- authored with C.S.Snow under the title "Moontan" (an anthology for night owls)

Two pieces of inspirational writing (and I do not know the authors)that really touch me and have meant a lot to me in the last couple of months:

You can't be all things to all people. You can't do all things at once. You can't do all things equally well. You can't do all things better than everyone else. Your humanity is showing just like everyone else's.

So:

You have to find out who you are, and be that. You have to decide what comes first, and do that. You have to discover your strengths, and use them. You have to learn not to compete with others, Because no one else is in the contest of *being you*.

Then:

You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness. You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions. You will have learned to live with your limitations. You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due. And you'll be a most vital mortal.

Dare To Believe:

That you are a wonderful, unique person. That you are a once-in-all-history event. That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are. That life is not a problem to solve, but a gift to cherish. And you'll be able to stay one up on what used to get you down.

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REASON, SEASON OR LIFETIME?

People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON, or a LIFETIME. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do.

When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on.

When people come into your life for a SEASON, it is because your turn has come to share, grow, or learn. They may bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh. They may teach you something you have never done. They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy. Believe it! It is real! But. only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons; those things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation. Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person/people (anyway); and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.