I began writing when I was eleven out of a need to talk and express myself. I was uncomfortable sharing my feelings face to face with my peers and I could not share them with any of the adults. And so I made writing my personal friend. As a teen I kept diaries, I took pen and paper where ever I went so that I could write about the things that I saw and felt, things that I dreamed of and hoped for; the thoughts that prevailed in my mind and poems about love and pain. As a young adult I was introduced to the writings of Maya Angelou. Her writings were so emotionally stirring, honest and heartfelt. I fell in love with her courage and was deeply influenced by her unique voice of expression and the boldness to just be herself in all of her undertakings. I wrote my very first book in 1974 but I never had the courage to share it beyond a small circle of friends. Later in life as I grew (matured) I wanted to share my life in a way that could inspire other people and find strength from another persons story. I began to see that we were all connected and every man's story was necessary to be told and so I continue to write, to share what I have gleaned and deemed worthy of writing from my life. It is still somewhat of a discomfort to open my emotional citadel and allow others in, but it is stifling to keep it all to myself. Our gifts and talents are trusted in our care not to hoard them but to share them and make the world a little better and brighter than we find it. That is my aim and so I make every effort to share as positive a message as I can. Actually I am at my absolute best when I am living and moving in the creative vein it makes me feel very much alive.

I have achieved broadness of self and as a result I am awarded the understanding and freedom of knowing that how I am is different from who I am. I can always change how I am because it is learned behavior environmentally. But who I am cannot be altered it is the very seam of my being. So I choose how I am to complement and bring out the best in who I am. And for me that's awesome and powerful and I believe that is just the way that should be. I am growing every day as a result of understanding myself, still it has not remedied the complexity of my humanity I think that will always be a puzzle.