Now THIS is one creative outlet I couldn't pass up.

Well, it's official. Give me an invitation to write and I'm not likely to pass on it. Everyone has that one way they best express their creative side. If I had to choose, I would say writing meets that need in me. Even as I type this, I find myself wondering, 'When did it all begin? When did I become hooked on creative writing?' I'll have to take you back to the fourth grade to answer that.

Ms. Elwitz was my gym teacher. She was a most animated woman, almost cartoon-like. She shared intriguing stories about serving as a nurse in war times. She was stern and not entirely feminine. BUT,...she was also compassionate and colorful. I remember when we found an injured bird behind the school during recess. She allowed us to keep it in a box in the gym, to comfort it as it faced certain death. Yes, she was human and she showed it.

Our classroom teacher asked her to give us some creative writing lessons, as she had published a children's book. I was in complete awe about that and I drank in every lesson with genuine enthusiasm. She gave us each an autographed copy of her book on the day of the last lesson. On the inside cover of my book, she had written, "To Toni. You'll make a great writer or a great mother someday,...probably both." Oh, how the words of another person can inspire. I was immediately and completely hooked on the idea of writing.

So, what happened? Well, life eventually "happened" and my dreams of writing were set aside.
Sure, I still contemplate writing, but with four children to raise, a husband to encourage, a homeschool to run, a house to maintain, a cat to feed, a waistline to monitor, and a soccer or swim lesson to head off to, I find precious little time to even attempt a writing pursuit. But, a blog? A chance to sit down and express my creative side during a rare, uninterrupted moment? How can I refuse myself the pleasure?!

Now, all this being said, I do realize that YOU might not find my writing to be as polished as I make it out to be. Perhaps it doesn't deserve a little blogging spotlight. Well then, I just have one teensy little thing to say to you; If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all (and if you can't follow those words of wisdom, can't you at least pretend?).