Come on in

“Come on in” was a saying that my grandmother used to say. It’s a southern term of warm welcoming. My grandmother was a southern girl who could give you that warm comfort every time you saw her or spoke to her. If you were in trouble, you could hear it in her voice: “Go outside and pick out yourself a switch,” or her motherly love: “Come on, hun, why are you so upset?” She was that grandma that you didn’t want to mess with.

My grandmother is my hero; she will be mentioned a lot, and as she should. She was my rock, and when she passed away, it was a turning point in my life. She would always tell me, “You’re my guy,” and I would just smile at her, knowing that means she loved me and I was her favorite.

My grandmother wrote a book herself called “Pure Endurance” by Joan E. Parrish. I think the title says a lot about who she is as a person. She was strong and she overcame many obstacles. Life wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t easy either. In my life, and as you read and follow this path with me, I also have many obstacles. I wanted to write; however, I didn’t know how to. How does someone write a book? I don’t even read books, let alone write one. Recently, I started listening to Audible. Now that… I can get with. A book… not so much. So here I am writing my blog, and here you are reading it. I guess maybe a book has too much structure? Chapters, you know? Will everything line up? Will everything make sense? Am I telling a story, or am I just saying what I feel? And then it struck me… blogging.

I want to tell my story to anyone who will listen. “Come on in” and make yourself comfortable. Everyone may consider this as a blog; however, I consider it a memoir. The feelings and statements are accurate. While some of my memories are filled with trauma, this is how I remember it.

The typical disclaimers apply: Some names and other details have been changed or omitted to protect the privacy of individuals. Any connections between a fictionalized name and a real person are strictly coincidental. If there are any posts containing dialogues, quotations are used when I am within reason that the speaker being quoted is verbatim or the meaning is being reflected.

This is my story….