In the beginning...

How to start this blog?  A question I have mulled over for some time.  All of the ideas swirling around in my head like a windstorm.  It’s gotta be BIG I thought… 

I can’t just write any ol’ story.  It needs to be life changing, thought provoking, a tearjerker, and side splittingly funny.   I mean there has to be some blog award I could win for having “the best” first entry or a certificate of achievement I could post up on my wall or…  at the very least, a key to a city somewhere out there.  

Ah, such a fantastical mind!  My father used to tell me that my eyes were bigger than my stomach.  A statement that anyone who has sat next to me at a restaurant would agree with.  I am a woman of grand ideas, have a competitive spirit, and a bit of a perfectionist mentality.  Mostly, however, I define myself by an unyielding desire to give and receive love. 

I remember the first time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I must have been around the ancient age of 5 going on 25.   What an enormous question.  Not wanting to give a flippant or false answer, I put on my miniature thinking cap.  This would require much deliberation.  What was I good at?  What did I love to do?

 First thing that came to mind, dancing and singing!  The whole world was my stage.  I must have done “The Bump” in every free space in my old house.  If something was hip level to me, I was bumping it.  I remember making up a routine to the song “I’ve got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates”. It could have brought the house down. Just sayin… I had the fever!

Wasn’t bad at helping out around the house either. If I didn’t know how to do something, I still stuck with it until I figured it out.  It may have taken a little time and may not have looked like a piece of art but I always gave a lot of effort.

I was a wizard at building forts and creating magical worlds where my mind along with my stuffed bears could roam free.  Slightly animalish when it came to climbing trees also, believed that if I tried hard enough and got enough wind under myself, I could fly.  

Then there was my grandmother Mertie.  I was fairly competent at combing her hair, rubbing her back, hands, and feet.  Telling her entertaining stories and making sure she was always comfortable.  She was very sick at the time so I tried to make her stay with us as joyful as possible.

 I also loved people.  Nightly, I made my rounds through the neighborhood.  I’d say hello to the adult neighbors, ask some questions about their lives, tell a couple stories, get a few laughs, spread a little joy.  My last stop was always Mrs. Robins. I was positive she needed the majority of my attention. She didn’t get out much nor did she have many visitors.  I’d make her cookies. As we shared them, we exchanged thoughts on life and I tried to show her as often as possible that someone cared about her and her not so friendly cat.

With all of these traits I realized that what meant the most to me was helping people and sharing love. There was only one thing I could think of that served both of these traits.  Being a doctor.    

Yes, a doctor.  I mean, I was a miracle worker at the game “operation.”  But, after a little more pondering I realized I wasn’t such a fan of blood, nor of hospitals.  Which left, as far as my five-year-old mind could muster, one other option…. A puppy! 

Perfection, everyone loves puppies.  No matter the age, gender, or religion…who’s heart didn’t light up when they saw a puppy? 

After some time and a little growth another realization hit me. This career choice as a puppy was unattainable.  Sadly, this too shall never come to pass! 

However, I stayed positive and decided I could still strive to maintain my helpful nature and to offer as much love as possible no matter what direction or path I would follow. That has been my intention throughout my entire life and what has led me here. 

While the course of this blog is uncertain, I do know that love is the driving force.  I have often thought back to the stories that the older people in the neighborhood would share, then about all of the experiences I’ve had on my own since then and how every piece has transformed me into the women I am today.

When I imagine all of the people in this world I am overwhelmed by the thought that, each and every one of us has had a profound experience with love in one way or another.  Perhaps it is one shaped by romance.  It could be parental love.  Or a love that one has lost.  It could be a love for nature, for an inanimate object or a deep-seeded love for puppies.

Our encounters with love are boundless. No matter how it has entered our lives, we wouldn’t be present without it.  Inside everyone is a story of love, of life and the space between.  May this serve as a safe place to share them. 


Live Love, Meredith