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I write a lot of blog pieces and Facebook posts about my crazy life and unbelievable, but true, adventures.  I post silly questions, risqué jokes, and way too many pop culture references (sorry/not sorry for the jabs Gwynnie ).  Today, with this post, I am scratching much deeper than the surface.  If you don't like to go deep, click here for a fun, but more shallow, read. Thursday night, Kelly Clarkson, American Idol's poster girl turned anti-establishment chanteuse, paid a visit to her alma mater. An older, heavily pregnant Kelly sang her new song, "Piece by Piece".  If you haven't heard it yet, you might want to take a listen or you won't really get what I am about to prattle on about. I have never been a Kelly Clarkson fan, but this song hit me straight in the heart.  My biological father abandoned me when I was a baby.  He abused my mother and neglected me.  I am truly a better person because my  young mother had the cour...

"In 1999, Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month to recognize the service and sacrifice of those in uniform.  I have dedicated May to spotlighting authors connected to the military.  Today we welcome Air Force veteran and Kensington author Leah Marie Brown ..."  Kim Lowe, Editor of SOS ALOHA . Kim :  Thank you for your service in the USAF! What did you learn from active duty that you can apply to your writing career? LMB :  Wow! That's a good question. I learned a lot of during my tour in the United States Air Force, like the true meaning of sacrifice, patriotism, and respect.   I also learned: If you slip the base tailor twenty bucks, she will nip your Blues in at the waist a little to give you something resembling a female figure.    Singing I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am to yourself in a Cockney accent while standing in formation might not keep you from passing out, but helps makes the time pass quick...

Ever since I discovered I have a Rational Heart , I've been exploring the notion of soul mates .  Are human beings meant to mate for life?   Is monogamy natural? In the United States, the divorce rate has been on a steady climb for the last forty years.  The majority of children born in France are born to parents out of wedlock.  Many young French couples are opting to cohabitate rather than wed.  France!  What does it mean when a nation known for its romantic pairings (Napoleon and Josephine, Marie Antoinette and Axel von Fersen, Nicolas Sarkozy and Carla Bruni, to name but a few) , is making "to death do us part" obsolete?   Hollywood offers little hope.  Tinsel town is littered with the wreckage of disasterous unions.  Brad and Jennifer.  Tom and Katie.  Demi and Ashton.  Jennifer Lopez and (insert random male name) .  It makes me wonder.  If golden couples who have yout...

Do you hear that distant knelling?   Book lovers around the world are ringing bells and mourning their losses.  The era of the bookstore is dying, my friends.  With customers converting to Kindle and Nook, and sales plummeting, Barnes and Noble announced a plan to close 190-240 of their stores.  First, Technology set her sites on newspapers; and now she means to annihilate bookstores.  As a former newspaper reporter and a lifetime book lover, this news fills me with great sadness.  The days of walking into spacious, neatly organized bookstores - or even small, independent nooks (pun, recognized but not intended) - are fading away like a dollop of whipped cream in a Starbucks mocha.  At the risk of sounding Orwellian, I fear we are headed into bleak times.   I try to imagine a world without newspapers, bookstores, and greeting cards (I am sorry, but ecards are just not the same) , and it fills me with d...

An encouraging message was posted in a university restroom (Imgur) Each morning, I pour myself a cup of tea, settle myself at my desk in my Cloffice (a closet converted to an office), and sign in to Yahoo. I usually try to avoid reading their news pieces because, well, frankly, reading about school shootings, corrupt politicians, and economic woes really bums me out. This morning, however, I found myself zoning out, staring at the news scroll on my computer screen (I guess my super-caffeinated tea hadn't kicked in yet).  I noticed the following title Inspiring Note Found in Stall .  I confess, the teaser aroused my curiosity.  I mean, who would leave a note taped to a bathroom stall?  And what would they even say?   "Sure, you are sitting in the bathroom at the Starbuck's in Omaha, but that doesn't mean you can't create great things!  After all, Van Gogh created masterpieces ...

On a recent afternoon, I gazed out the window at the woods beyond my home, transformed by the technicolor filter of autumn.  Brilliant late-day sunshine punctured the canopy of red, green, and yellow leaves while birds perched on low-lying branches chirped incessantly upbeat tunes.  I wrapped my hands around a mug of over-priced tea, felt the contentment that comes from knowing all of your basic needs are being met, and suddenly realized  that, despite my many blessings, I was not happy.   With crystalline clarity, I realized I had been zealously pursuing external happiness, hedonistic delights, for years, but was still lacking internal happiness.  The sort of happiness that brings peace, balance, self-acceptance, and contentment. I decided to embark on a Happiness Project , one year of intensive self-analyzing, goal setting, and stretching to achieve a greater sense of self and a deeper level of i...

A few years ago, I had a mid-life crisis.  I liken it to surviving a horrific car crash.  I was going about the business of my life, hands on the wheel, cruising along at a moderate speed.  I was so fixated on the road ahead, I missed vital signs alerting me I was headed in the wrong direction.  On auto-pilot, I sped along, oblivious to the imminent crash. On auto-pilot.  That's how I would describe the way I was functioning.  Mindlessly moving forward, propelled more by inertia than a desire to follow a thoughtfully charted course. I shoveled the snow from our driveway, went to my early morning Spin class, got the kids to school, cleaned the house, did the marketing, paid the bills, picked the kids up from school, made dinner, listened to my husband's musings about his work, and fell into bed too exhausted to process my thoughts or feelings about the day.  Some days, I added volunteering or writing to my schedule.  This it...

map-generator.net If individual travel days needed to be summed up using a single word, my third day in Paris would be described as Macabre . First Stop:  Cimetière du Montparnasse Statue in Montparnasse Cemetery by Christopher Levy I started my morning off with a brisk, but purposeful stroll through the Montparnasse Cemetery.  I confess, I rather enjoy visiting historic cemeteries.  I experience a macabre delight when gazing at the creepy faces of the statues guarding the mausoleums or when reading the more unusual names listed on the tombstones.  I even keep a list of names I like:  Verity Noble.  Gastone de Montague.  Desire Perineaux.  Ida Mae Butterfield.  Victoire Hope Wintingue.  This morning, however, I was on a mission that involved more than the reconaissance of unsual names. Built in the early 19th century, Montparnasse has become the eternal resting pla...