2015 Holiday Musings.

It has certainly been a challenging year, to say the least. I am happy to say that my Dad is still with us and he is doing very well.  I intended to document a lot of my feelings throughout this ordeal, but you can understand the level of physical and mental exhaustion that I was faced with.  I could not shake the feelings swirling around in my mind.

I am grateful for the outpouring support and love that we received from family and friends, but also from people we rarely even knew. Strangers can be so oddly comforting.  I was also able to keep my faith alive in a situation that was so devastating and needed a miracle.

If you're just finding my blog now, my Dad fell critically ill with a rare encephalitis virus that ended up attacking his brain. Our lives got turned upside down so quickly that I felt maybe I was just stuck in a terrible nightmare. Nope, reality hit hard, but fortunately, with all the help that we received, my Dad survived.

My Dad, happy to be celebrating my 35th birthday at Casey's. 

As cliche as it sounds, life is short. If you haven't gone through some sort of devastating moment, you are lucky...or perhaps unlucky, since every experience teaches you something good or bad, heck, perhaps a mixture of both.  You really never know what is going to happen from one moment to the next. It's exhilarating and terrifying, all at the same time.

I try and make the most of each day. I am still battling my traumas, yet trying to survive and continue my journey of helping others. I'm not perfect. I make mistakes.  I continue to deal with disappointments and fleeting friendships. I used to be certain on so many things, but today, I am full of uncertainty, and I know that's ok.

I do not want to let a day go by wishing "if only" because

"If only...is a wish too late."

Kelley Armstrong Book Review: Werewolves don't have the luxury of sentimentality

My book review on Men of the OtherWorld by Kelley Armstrong:

As young, curious and naive Clayton begins his transformation into a werewolf, he is befriended by Jeremy, another one of his kind, who is anything but your typical Alpha Male. As their bond deepens, Jeremy's aggressive and undermining father enters the picture to make life unbearable. Loyalty remains strong in the Pack but when Jeremy is faced with an important decision, the agonizing pain of trying to integrate Clayton into human society while teaching him the ways of raw survival, now seems all too much to handle.

Kelley Armstrong is a powerful author with a niche for writing empowering stories about mystical women. In Men of the OtherWorld, Kelley continues to show her brilliance of story-telling and takes a different path this time, focusing on the strength and complexity of werewolves; Clayton, Jeremy and Malcolm, all males with extraordinary gifts.

Although I had initially thought that this book would have four completely separate stories, they were woven in perfectly to create a thought-provoking and emotional journey through words.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tales that extend one's mind into other spiritual worlds, yet can be thrown back into the harsh realms of reality, without a moment's notice.

💜You can go to Kelley's website to learn more: Men of the Otherworld