Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience,
and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.
~ Harriet Tubman

Not exactly sure where I got the hang of putting words together. I do remember when Mrs. Cunningham, my high school English teacher gave me an "A" on my "Colour My World" assignment in the 10th grade. I was on Cloud 9! Fitting in in high school was never my strong suit, so when I did a really good thing - at least in my eyes - I was over the moon! I'll never forget how she made me feel, and then years later when a theatre-sort-artistic-guy told me that "I was a natural storyteller," I stopped and took a breath. It jarred me at first and then I remembered back to when words + images + colors + stories made me feel incredible.

So that's what I did - words + images + colors + stories - and yes, it's WOW.
North Georgia Moonshine was born.
This year has made me feel incredible and accomplished. It's more than the fact that "I wrote a book" but rather the fact that "I WROTE an entire book and put all the words together and somehow they fit and I didn't give up and I didn't die" - THAT fact. That those dreams born so many years ago never died and at this moment in time, they came to life.
I like to think that life is like that. When it's time, it will happen.
When you need a purpose in life, you become a teacher and affect lives and end up being the one who is blessed the most.
When you need a legacy, you have three children - although scattered to the four corners of the world - and they warm your heart and overflow your soul.
When you need help from a wise soul, you have the capacity to remember her touch, her crazy words of truth, he "aghs" and her squeeze of the knee. When everyone else leaves, mama is there.
When you're dying in an abusive marriage, you reach deep down and find a strength you had no idea lived there.
When you doubt you'll ever love again, you appear.
When you decide it's time to write a book and a publisher has asked for it, you dig deep again and follow your gut, your drive and use the gift that God gave you, grew and nourished for 50+ years.
When it's time, it happens. God sees to that. And then, he shakes His finger at you when you forget how far you've come.
Remember the dream, Judy. Remember the reality.