I love to talk "Jesus" and I love to talk about God's grace in my life...I love to listen to others as people simply fascinate me. I don't love to talk about myself so, it was a bit daunting recently, when I had to come up with 600 words about me for local publication to which I've become a frequent contributor. So I took my pen and tablet, headed for my rocker on the front porch and prayed...
Me
Having moved from here from Lakewood six years ago, I am honored to be a frequent contributor to Bakersfield VOICE. I am blessedly married to my husband whom I met the summer we were fifteen. Our beautiful daughters are a sophomore at UCSC and a senior at North High School. My mother moved in with us two years ago due to health reasons and we reside in a clapboard home encircled by a white picket fence, surrounded by roses and morning glory. My favorite spot is rocking on my big front porch that my husband built for me our past anniversary. Our mini-farm consists of two rabbits, seven chickens and a cat named Chloe. We had a pig named Abraham and two ducks, but they outgrew the barnyard.
A plethora of ongoing projects ensues but I especially enjoy repurposing projects such as mosaic stained glass from old windows and making hummingbird feeders from old bottles and glass beads. A friend once said, “I refuse to visit you in the dark, because you’ve always got something being moved or going on.”
I’ve been blessed to see a little bit of this great big world while stationed in Darmstadt, Germany but was honorably discharged from Army for medical reasons. I am a tourist at heart and especially fancy day trips throughout our town and beautiful valley. I often take my Mom out to Hart Park to visit the peacocks and I enjoy just hopping in the car and seeing where I end up.
My love for reading and writing began at the age four when my Pop taught me to read the Television Listings. “The world’s knowledge is locked up in books and when you learn to read, you now hold the key to unlock that knowledge,” he told me. My first published story was featured in a District Publication. I was one of three third graders chosen from our elementary school. Later, I worked my way from freshman reporter to Feature Page editor as a sophomore and was editor-in-Chief my junior and senior years for our High School Newspaper the VOICE.
I was teaching Sunday School and writing yearly Christmas stories and weekly devotions when my Pastor of thirty-plus years told me, “You have a talent…do something with it.” I began compiling it all into a planned book called, “Things my Daddy Told Me…Heavenly wisdom from our Father through life lessons and my earthly Dad.” Shortly thereafter, I discovered blogging and began a monthly webpage under the screen name Sonflowerandgrace. I chose this screen name because, sunflowers turn towards the sun throughout the day and under God’s grace, I strive to seek and follow the Son daily in all I do. When we began receiving the Bakersfield VOICE every Monday, my family encouraged me to begin submitting my stories.
As a wife, mother, daughter and friend, I live by the adages: “If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours (my Grandmother Loper)…” Be the change you wish to see in the world (Ghandi)…” and “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning to sail my ship (Louisa May Alcott).” I believe God always has a plan and I believe in the power of prayer. At the end of the day, I hope all who I know and come in contact with can honestly say, “She loves me and she loves the Lord.”