Inspirations

I am often inspired by events, dreams, people I meet, snippets of conversations, even music, but the most constant inspiration in my life comes from my family.

My sister and I are extremely fortunate to have parents who encourage and support our dreams and endeavors.  In addition to their own interests and creative pursuits, they become interested in and familiarize themselves with whatever is important to us, whether it was previously their "cup of tea" or not.  If it interests us, it becomes interesting to them, and they share in our excitement, plans, and goals.

When I told Dad about an "idea box" I was starting, he began to think of ideas for me to add to it.  Mom reads my work-in-progress and is very excited when she discovers that there is more to read.  My sister is my favorite brainstorming partner, and we've literally talked for hours about plots and storylines.

In my early years, we moved often as Dad was stationed in different locations, and sometimes there were no kids my age where we lived.  Susan is 6 1/2 years older than I am, and I remember many times that she would have preferred to be hanging out with her friends, yet she took the time to play with me so that I didn't feel lonely. 

I remember, many times, saying, "Susan, get me started . . ." before she left with her friends.  "Getting me started" consisted of helping me brainstorm a story to "play out" with my dolls (usually Barbie dolls).  We decided what the dolls' names were, what they did for a living, where they lived, and so on, and I would be content to play for hours based on the outlines we'd established.

I no longer play with Barbie dolls, and I'm better at coming up with some storylines by myself, but my brainstorming sessions with Susan are still, and will always be, such fun, and more helpful than she could ever realize.