At 10 years old, I used to curl up on the living room loveseat to read, early in the morning.

A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Woman

My mother's silvered ballet slippers from when she was six years old.

When I was little, I used to get lost in thought staring through my grandmother's cranberry glass sugar bowl. Now I keep fortunes from fortune cookies past in it, along with a tiny box of treasures I made as a child. The bracelet on the handle is one that my mother and aunt bought for Bawby when they were young. Mother said they paid six dollars, which was exorbitantly expensive for them...but they adored her so they felt it was completely worth it!

A dear soul suggested that I wear a purple hat because, "The color will keep you grounded and help keep your thoughts in". So, when I discovered this sequined purple cowboy hat, I tried it on in her honor!

Puppets have a mystical quality that comes from another time, another dimension. These three reign on top of my refrigerator. One day I needed an answer about a chapter I was writing, so I playfully asked two of them for advice. James the Dragon cocked his head and looked me in the eye. "Joanie, you already know what to do. Trust your gut!" And Little Girl? "Joanie, honey," she answered so sweetly it was obvious that she didn't want to step on my feelings. "You already have the answer. Just trust yourself, honey, and you'll know what to do." What was my reaction? I laughed...thanked them sincerely...then followed the wisdom that mystically flowed through them! Because I knew in my gut they were right!! (Pin on Little Girl by Ed Paschke)