2008 was a turning point in my life.  I felt alone and afraid when confronted with my father’s illness, and began reliving the pain of my mother’s death 16 years ago. 

My family and friends provided comfort with laughter and tears through the stories of my heritage.  My heartache evolved into the desire to capture my family memoirs.  A writing class helped me put these precious pearls on paper.

It was time to uncover the unknown stories of my Mom in her younger days when she excelled at Irish dancing and was a teenage beauty. I also wanted to share the stories of my Dad in his young “rabble rouser” days.

During the grueling writing process, I shared an insight with my writing instructors:  

“I have come to the following realizations: The workplace of the 21st century is very much a “need to get the next task done NOW” scenario. There is no time for breaks or lunch or sometimes even a quick phone call home to check in on what’s going on in our real lives.

Due to the pressures of my work schedule in the last few years, I had lost my close connection with friends and family who truly are the dearest to me.

Writing this book became the catalyst for me to reconnect with my friends and family."

It occurs to me now that writing this book helped me not only reconnect with family and friends, but also with my Irish roots. The colorful stories of my youth  became a healing balm to my soul.

Each story is a piece of the puzzle and tapestry of my life.  

I sat back, soaked them up, accepted them as mine, and embraced them. 
I can’t wait to share them and introduce my Mom’s grandchildren to their Grandma!