Introduction

Grandma, Genevieve Gubler, and I. My closet kindred Spirit

The ability to look back on one’s life is one of the most precious gifts I believe humanity has been granted. Our memories and experiences, no matter good or bad, nor how deeply we have tried to bury them, are still etched and engraved into our present. Our experiences and interactions are all recorded into our cells and therefore our past seems to always have influence upon our present and future. Some people use experiences of the past as anchors of victim-hood that hold them down and stifle further growth, others use them as building blocks, lessons that lift them above the tides of life, helping to keep them focused and driven with purpose.
In reflecting back on my life I see peaks and valleys, highs and lows, and to say the least it has been one hell of a roller coaster ride. There have been times in my life that I felt I was just coasting along in auto-pilot, and others where I simply felt I was being tossed unconsciously about by some imagined, yet real, current of turbulence that seemed to have a mind and course all of its own. There have been other times in my life where I have felt very much like a car with my engine roaring, the RPM gauge dangerously beyond the red line, as I battle my way, full tilt, up some steep hill, conquering some battle in my life. I have felt like I am wandering lost, completely without guidance or light at times and yet at other times the light and guidance has been so bright and powerful that no fiber of my soul could deny the correctness and trueness of the course I was to follow. Sometimes the road of life has been traveled with many friends and loved ones, and many times in reflection I notice it has been a very lonely path. But in reflective moments like I am having now as I write, I notice that no matter the memory, if I look deep enough, there has always been some beauty and some message of light that will be useful knowledge for some future adventure or tribulation.
Some people travel the earth searching for precious treasures, riches, or fame. I am going to share with you the journey I embarked on quite by chance one day. A journey into my soul. I share it in hopes that as you come along with me through my written words you will also embark on a journey of your own and discover that the most precious gift the world has ever been granted is simply YOU. I am finding myself in this journey and let me say the journey will hopefully never be complete. That is the true beauty of life is the discovery of and the pursuit of ourselves. I learn more everyday and with each new person or situation I encounter. I know deep in my heart that even when my mortal heart stops beating this journey of self discovery will continue in another realm. I get goose bumps thinking about the possibilities.