The name says it all...

The title for this blog comes from the following quote:

There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.

- Hodding Carter

This quote was one that I thought of often as a teacher. No matter the grade level or subject I was teaching, I always believed in teaching children to understand themselves and have the confidence to live life to the fullest.

At my place in life now, this quote takes on another meaning. It represents a conflict between being true to ones past roots, while simultaneously being true to the future. It is the struggle between where we’ve been and where we are going. Roots and wings are not mutually exclusive; they are tangled up differently for all people, but are always connected in some sense.

I always thought my roots and wings were very distant from one another. My plans after high school were to move out of my home town, become a teacher in an inner city school district, change lives and never look back. 11 years later, I’m a home owner, in my hometown, and looking for new career. I have a dog and a fiancé who represents my roots and encourages me daily to find my wings. Each day, I learn more and more how my past and future are connected together.

I’ve always envisioned writing as part of my future. But in order to be a writer, one must write. So here goes….