It seems I’ve spent my life in a state of expression.  Those who have known me the longest know that I’ve always written notes and poems to friends that were so sappy they dripped!  That love of written expression has never faded over the course of my life.  As a result, I started pulling my thoughts together in book format.  Two of my works are in print and there will be more to come.  I write because I am compelled to and when others appreciate or are touched by something I’ve written, it is always amazing and humbling to me.

(Click here to purchase “How We Said Goodbye” from Amazon.com)    It is said that life throws us curves when we least expect it.  I suppose that’s true.  Sometimes those curves can be wonderful but sometimes they are devastating.  One thing I have learned is that it is better not to know what the future holds.  If we knew the things we were going to have to endure in life, most of us would shrink within the confines of our homes or even our own souls.  Not knowing what tomorrow holds frees us to live completely for today.  It gives us license to embrace the world around us because tomorrow it may all be gone.  When we allow ourselves to live with open arms, we create opportunities to receive more than we can ever dream.  Yes, there will be pain, but in time the pain fades and leaves beautiful memories of amazing experiences we didn’t recognize as we were actually living them.   Annette and I initially appeared to be the most unlikely pair, but we became inseparable.  When cancer crashed into our world, we faced it together.  Although her body eventually gave in to the disease, her spirit conquered it completely.  Cancer did not win, she won!  Ours was a beautiful journey that only made our goodbye that much more exquisite.  It was painfully wonderful to have walked such a journey with such an amazing woman. I would have never dreamed that saying “goodbye” could be one of life’s greatest and richest blessings, but we lived it first-hand.   Here is our story…

Each of us is building a legacy with every breath we take. “Don’t Miss It” provides ample opportunity to reflect upon where we have been, where we are now, and where we are meant to go. In this journey through the years, Deanna O’Leary has given us a place to pause and consider our own life’s journey. Whether we live to be five or ninety-five, it will never seem long enough. No matter how or when our journey ends there will always be things that are left undone. What matters is that we live, truly live, until we die. Only through living can we ever understand the beauty that lies around us. Only through finding and honoring the truth within us can we leave behind a path for others to follow. So throw out the map and jump into the journey. You will never be the same again. (Click here to purchase “Don’t Miss It” from Amazon.com)