A longer tale

Growing up in a small town in north central Missouri, the daughter of a minister and a public school teacher, the youngest child and only girl, I loved reading. I began writing short stories in the second grade which my mother lovingly mimeographed with that beautiful fuzzy purple ink. Once I hit middle school I gave up the solitary acts of writing and playing piano for the more social fields of acting and singing. After majoring in English at Guilford College, a delightful Quaker community, I found myself moving into a career that allowed me to act and sing and write and do so many of the other things I loved most in life: I became a minister. Ministry for me was like a favorite pair of jeans. They feel best after you’ve worn them in a bit, but then they begin to grow a bit tight around the middle until one day you have to admit, as much as you love them, you just can’t wear them any more. By that time, married and the mother of a young son, I began an exploration of other ways to weave the loves of my life into a new career. It’s been a winding road, but with fabulous views all along the way. Today I live in my favorite spot on earth, the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Asheville, NC; I share custody of my son with my former husband, still a neighbor and good friend; I live within an easy drive of my most amazing mother; and work from my home in a funky older neighborhood. From here I write some, edit some, coach and counsel other writers, lead retreats, perform rituals, and even preach now and then. It’s a good life and I’m so damn grateful to have it.