I have always loved to write especially poetry when I was in my twenties. Now that two of my children are away in college, I'm finding more time to pursue my love of writing and speaking. I recently took a few creative writing and public speaking classes and have rekindled my passions. My favoritie writing and speaking genres include writing for children, inspirational , romance and women's health issues. My blog is www.coolnewsforwomen.blogspot.com . In my blog you will find my articles about women's health , being middle aged and a few other subjects. My writing is inspired by my need for creative expression. I try to write daily to keep the creative flow going. My newest writing project is called " The Wheat Grass Club". This will be a collaboration of many female writers, some experienced and others inexperienced. So how did this project come about? I’ll never forget my friend Julie saying, “Hey ladies, do you want to get a shot of wheat grass after our hike?” She finally explained that it wasn’t some kind of new booze, but rather a healthful drink that would make us feel great after our 6-mile hike. Over the years, I’ve shared many a cup of coffee, tea or wheat grass with female friends around the world. Despite differences in culture, nationality, sexuality or religion, the thread that ties women together is strong. I still have not acquired a taste for wheat grass; however, I’ve come to realize that wheat grass is more than just a terrible tasting drink. To me this drink symbolizes my unity with other women. It reminds me of the joy and learning that occurs while being connected to female friends and most importantly to nature. The Wheat Grass Club started as a group that wanted to train for a hike in the Grand Canyon. During our training hikes, we found that the exercise was fantastic, but the provocative conversation was even more addicting than the hikes. Things as simple as wheat grass and nature, remind me of the strong women that have entered my life over the years. Each different from the other, each coming from a different place in life, but strong, vital and grounded. By spending time in nature, we learn to be grounded and go with the flow of life. When we keep things simple and stop complicating life, we soon experience the flow of wisdom. From nature, we learn that life brings us both sweet joy and bitter sorrow, but there is always strength and wisdom to be found in everything we encounter. As women, we are sometimes cast into the role of teacher, but more often, we find ourselves as the student. We teach and learn from each other. This gift of connectedness with other women and nature is powerful. We all have internal wisdom to share. I know that you will enjoy the strength and wisdom of the wheat grass women as much as I have. Look for stories of strength and wisdom from the women of "Wheat Grass Club" in future posts. Note: In case you're wondering what exactly wheat grass is, it refers to the young plant of common wheat, Triticum aestivum, that is freshly juiced or dried into powder for human consumption. Both provide chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and enzymes. This definition applies to women in many ways. Women can forever remain youthful and creative in their thinking(young plant), we're flexible (freshly juiced or dried into powder) and we nourish those around us as mothers, friends, sisters, wifes, lovers (chlorophyll, etc.).

One of my children's articles " Battle for the Beach" was recently published in Quest Magazine.