Once Upon a Time in My Oceania

Spring is starting to show up all around me it seems. Every time I turn around, I'm finding myself outside, soaking up the much warmer sunshine, spying flowers of blue, purple, and yellow dotting the lush green grass. The birds are merrily chirping before the sun rises, greeting a brand new day. And, with springtime comes a special time for this blog... ONE WHOLE YEAR   of posts, poems, and stories! I have to confess, I originally decided upon starting this endeavor, to only commit to three months. Then, three turned into six, and six into an entire year. Although I would have loved to have shared even more posts, I'm incredibly proud of how many I did write, edit and post for all of you, my readers, to read. Your feedback has been incredible! It has moved me, it has encouraged me and your words have inspired me.  I don't know how far I will continue to take this blog. I admit, I have thought much about that question and still don't have a solid answer. I gu...

The damage I see everywhere, all around me, the stuff I left behind. It's in the call for help, that young person wading through the darkness on their own, because Mom and Dad preach love, but refuse to love the real them.  I see it in the broken pieces of the hallowed eyed wife, married for a decade to a "godly" man who she gave babies to and works herself broken, tip-toeing to avoid his temper and who can't get his words degrading her self worth to zero out of her head. I see it in young girls and boys who in order to find some safety, leave their past communities with no education, no practice and no idea what it takes to survive in the real world or how to go after it.  I see the girl who is self conscious and nervous, never having been able to speak up and disagree with a man or anyone in an authority position. Her hands tremble, heart pounds, but she forces out that timid disagreement to a crowd of silent cheers. I recognize that suspicious ...