About Me

In thinking about how to best describe myself, I found that the description had to be multi-dimensional. Due to my busy life, I wear many hats which lend authenticity to the many facets of my personality and ways of being.

I am Me.

In this world, there is no one exactly like me. Everything that comes from me is original,because I alone chose it. I own everything about me: my body, feelings, voice, thoughts and behavior. My fantasies, dreams, hopes, and fears all belong to me. I own my achievements, deficiencies and illusions. I courageously and hopefully look for solutions to life’s puzzles. I am blessed with the tools to survive and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things around me.

I am Spouse.

I treasure my marriage to hubby, Roger McManus, more than life itself. The commitment we made in our wedding vows — to love one another unconditionally — is stronger each day as we encounter the ups and downs of our togetherness. What makes life meaningful for us, what makes it all matter, is our love for one another. And love, like life itself, does not fit into neat categories. It does not match our expectations and ideals. Love is about what makes us essentially human, and gives us the courage to endure.

I am Mom.

Being a mother has given me the opportunity to experience loving someone more than I love myself. It has shown me the depth, strength and power of hope and patience. No one’s hugs are as sweet and no one’s dreams mean as much as those of my daughter, MaryBeth.  And, my time as a mother is the precious treasures that I relive again and again.

I am Grandmother.

Nobody prepared me for the day that I would become a Grandmother. I knew of my parents love for all of their Grandkids, but had no idea what it felt like to love unconditionally again and without the need to correct and teach.

I can’t even begin to describe the excitement I had for my daughter and son-in-law each time one of their three baby boys were born. Yes, three healthy boys who are now 4, 5 and 8. These boys have become the thrill and love of my life. With them, there is never a dull moment.

I am Creative.

I find art irresistible. I simply love all the materials and supplies, regardless of the complexity.

I love photography, paper crafting, sewing, quilting, and scrapbooking. I honestly believe the reason I find creating so alluring is that I love colors and textures and the many ways of putting them together. In creating, I find that I also experience fond memories of family, friends and life’s precious moments. These memories are joyful and thereby create a positive experience that I want to repeat over and over again.

My newest venture into the world creativity is through art  journaling. I am learning to express thoughts, feelings and memories on paper with color pens, pencils and mixed media. To be perfectly honest, I have believed my entire life that I cannot be artistic due to my inability to draw a straight line without the use of a ruler. Today, however, I am beginning to believe I am artistic!!!

If you haven’t given art a fair chance, please try. You may find that it to be as seductive as I do!

I am Photographer.

For me, taking photographs is a form of communication and my way of using light to express what I see. My photography is documentary. It is how I tell stories and how I preserve moments in time. Photography is about the revelation of the world’s wonders and sharing them with you.

I am a photographer because it feeds my need to be creative and the deep desire to record life.

Last but not least, I am Writer/Publisher.

Last but not least, I am a publisher. According to Websters, “a publisher is 1. a firm in the publishing business; 2. a person engaged in publishing periodicals or books or music; and 3.the proprietor of a newspaper. For all intents and purposes this is true. And yes, I own a publishing business, and have published periodicals and books. No music. No newspapers.

Publishing for me is about my love of the spoken and written word. It is about the mathematics and semantics or linguistics of the English language. How we say or write what we want to communicate engages the mind and heart of those listening or reading. Our thoughts and emotions are expressed by the very nature of how we put those words together.

If you’ve known me for years, then you know most of these things about me. If you haven’t, then I am glad to share with you these things that I  hope offers you a window into seeing me and my life.