About Me – An Ongoing Journey

Call me Jacquie – short for Jacqueline. I am from Newfoundland, Canada – as far east as you can go before stepping into the Atlantic and swimming across the pond to Ireland. My greatest claim to fame is that I am mother to two young ladies who are turning out to be wonderful people. Being a parent has taught me unconditional love, patience and willingness to let my children be who they are meant to be – not to point them in any particular direction, but to encourage them to find out what they are capable of and most importantly, what makes them happy. They have been my greatest teachers; some lessons easy, many were not. One lesson I did learn was that we cannot tell our children to embrace their creativity, follow their passions and fulfill their dreams and hope they will.  They need to see us do it for ourselves and I have tried hard to do that for me – and ultimately, for them.

I have always written ever since the boy next door taught me to read and write when I was four.  I’ve tried my hand at stories, journals, poems and even the odd comic strip (my rendition of Margaret Atwood is spot on). But I’d lost my momentum in the busyness of life and putting the things I loved to the side. Sure, there would always be time later. Maybe when I retired.

But I became restless.  I needed to learn new things, engage my brain and put my pen and paper.  Scared to death,  I went back to university a few years ago (part-time) to work toward an English degree and Creative Writing diploma. In the process of almost always being the ‘old lady’ in the class, I was inspired.  I rediscovered what makes me tick, what’s dragged me through some pretty tough times and helped me record the wonderful moments…My writing.  Short stories, poetry, creative non-fiction, essays – some I am more confident doing than others, but they all make me think and work beyond the fill-in-the-blanks mother/baby keepsake books and the long questionnaires one fills out at the beginning of a relationship with a new family physician (and no…I don’t remember my blood type).

Since then, I have written a myriad of short stories (a couple were published), some poetry, innumerable journal entries and I have notebooks galore filled with potential writing material (love Moleskine and Levenger).  I also developed and taught creative writing courses and workshops for kids/teens at Memorial University of Newfoundland.  They were my toughest literary critics and my greatest teachers. In return, I hope I instilled in them something about the joy of following their creative path, whatever that might be.

 Fate, fortune, divine intervention, luck – whatever you might call it- stepped in and I am now travelling and writing – to feed my own creative soul and mind. My partner and I have been house-sitting in Italy, France, the UK, Canada and who know’s where next we will go.  So now that I’m somewhere with extra time on my hands, I do get to write. And read, cook authentically Italian, learn new languages, enjoy the sunshine, drink great wine and share meals with new friends.  I even get to knit a little in the evenings as the sun goes down and the birds quieten their songs. I have no daily agenda, no time clock to tell me I must be here or there. I just wake up, wonder what the day has to offer and embrace it with open arms.

My time is my own to be spent as I would like to, as I feel the need to.  And for that I am truly grateful.

This little piece of the web is a place for me to write a little and share things that make me think, feed my soul, make me laugh out loud, encourage me and influence me.  In a roundabout way, to help me on my journey to becoming.