About

I'm a small-town country girl born in Trenton, NJ, and raised in South Jersey. I grew up in a tiny town called Elm, which sits between Atlantic City and Philadelphia.  The town is so small with the slightest blink of an eye, you would miss the entire Elm experience. My two sisters and I lived in a rambler with my mom and grandma. The house was small but filled with so much love, it was a joy to call home.​

Our neighbors had farms filled with chickens, roosters, goats, and sheep, and we had a bunch of cats and dogs. We had too many pets to count since we adopted many strays. They would run away for months, then find their way back home with their new pet spouses and litters of kittens and puppies. We welcomed them all. This life made me a pet lover. ​

During my childhood, I was bullied at school, so I didn't have many friends. There weren't any other children in my neighborhood, however, during the summer there was a family that would travel from their winter home in the big city to their summer home around the corner from us. I didn’t like being alone, so I looked forward to summertime. Nevertheless, I have an amazing imagination and I created my own fun. ​

Fun for me included playing house or school with my dolls. I often pretended to be a famous singer using an old tree stump as my stage and a stick as my microphone. I would sing for hours to the top of my lungs to the animals and the trees, but no one else could hear me. I jumped rope solo by tying a long rope to our wire fence and pretended other kids were turning the rope for me cheering me on. Occasionally, I would fearlessly wander off for hours deep in the woods on a quest for adventure, and sneak a few peaches from the neighbor’s peach orchard to hold me over until dinnertime. The most exciting day for me was receiving a new subsciption to Highlights Magazine. I would sit for hours under that big oak tree in our front yard completing all the activities in no time, then I read children's books which took my mind to places I had only dreamed of.

I must have climbed that tree a thousand times, with my goal being to one day reach the very top just so I could say I did it. I loved that tree and I trusted its thick branches with my life, while the back of my knees clung to it supporting me as I fearlessly hung upside down at least twenty feet from the ground. That tree and I have a history that's deeper than the ocean. I would sit under it and stare out in the fields as far as I could see, writing poetry that flowed fluidly from my heart or while writing in my diary. That tree was like a best friend that knew all my innermost thoughts. I would whisper aloud my deepest secrets that the tree still holds silently in its roots. During that phase of my childhood is when I realized that writing was my great escape from the world. I could write about anything I imagined, even things that didn't exist would come to life in my mind. Going back to see that empty little house overwhelms my emotions as I reflected on the memories and the love that exuded from that simple little home, more love than I ever received from any big home. When I returned for a drive-by visit, it dawned on me that my favorite tree that knew me so well was still standing, unmoved, yet I had grown up and moved on. Sometimes I wonder if that tree remembers me.​

Prayer was the foundation of my upbringing. My grandmother was the holiest person I have ever known. She was a Bishop and she believed in unifying the family every morning and night with active participation in reading scriptures, singing hymnals and we would all get on our knees as she led a lengthy family prayer. Visitors didn't have a choice; if they were there and it was time for family prayer, they had to stop, drop and pray or they were welcome to leave. I must say, she was a true praying grandmother whose prayers are covering me even now.

My middle school and teenage years were typical for me, whereas I still endured a lot of bullying, but I had become far more resilient by then.  My biggest dream as a teen was to get out of that little town where I was deeply hidden, and to one day see the world. The only way I could imagine this happening was to go away to college. My first choice was Howard University. My mom didn't make much money and I didn't have two dimes to rub together or a nickels worth of change, but I was determined to go to Howard. My mom always said, "Act as if it is so, even if it’s not so, so that it could be so, in other words, have faith. 

When I was 14, my first job was mowing lawns. I also took piano lessons at a late age and was paid to play for the church. I wasn’t the best pianist, as a matter of fact now that I think about it I was quite awful. Back then everyone was so supportive no matter how bad I was they boosted my confidence with applause as if I were nothing less than amazing. Later I started working at a department store, and during the school year, I worked at a local McDonald’s after school. In the summer months, I worked the day shift at McDonald’s and the night shift at a department store across the street.

During my senior year, I was accepted into Howard University, but strangely I never thought about the cost. I never believed that money grew on trees, but I grew up in a home surrounded by strong women with abundant faith, so I just naturally figured it would all work out somehow. In preparation to move to Washington, DC, I worked overtime so that I could get what I needed to go to school. I remember when I received a check for a little more than $300 from McDonald's. I was syked because it was the biggest check I had ever received. I had enough to buy a small television and all the accessories I needed for college. When I finally went away to Howard University, that was the beginning of a new era in my life and I never looked back.

I'm grateful to have been raised by two dynamic women of God, who always filled our home with positive energy. A place where the word "can't" was a foreign language. My mom would always tell me, "Anything the mind can conceive and believe, I could achieve," and my grandmother's prayers confirmed that. ​

Through it all, my upbringing was built on a solid spiritual foundation. The power of prayer was engraved in my spirit, so no matter how far I was from home, I always knew that I was not alone, because God would always be with me.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
Philippians 4:13