“Imagination and inspiration are beauty seen beyond our eyes” ~ Dorinda

Let me begin by thanking Morgan, of BooknVolume, for giving me this opportunity to write about myself. Morgan has been a great source of inspiration for me. Even at a very difficult time in her life, she managed to bring comfort with her words, touching many lives. Please do visit her blog and read her beautiful words. I promise she will make you feel like you’re a part of the verse.

What inspires me? Life! Just look around at the splendor before us. Sit outside and let the breeze take you away. Look up at the sky, images floating by, telling their own story. Revel at the night, the stars, the moon, the constellations, each its own entity but belonging to all. A flower blooming as the sunlight shines upon it, and closing as the sunlight fades. People inspire me. I watch as a new mother interacts with her baby, how a father teaches his son to throw a ball, how a young person helps an elderly one simply by holding a door or carrying a package. All of this inspires me!

English was not my favorite subject. (I can hear the gasps of those as they read this!) I didn’t really care for reading others works. Some bored me, some put me to sleep, while still others awakened a side of me I never knew I had. And this is where it all began. In 1978, I met the love of my life, although I didn’t know it at the time. We met again in 1981, and have been together ever since. Neil’s dad was an English professor at William Paterson University. He opened my eyes to the exciting words within a page. He recited Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher”, by heart, and sent you to heights you can’t imagine. One day I asked him to read a few stories I had written. They were short, but spoke of my memories of people in my life, some who had passed, some still with me. He was the one who told me I should be published. I have to admit, I shrugged it off, thinking he was just being kind, but he saw something in me that took years for me to see for myself.

Music has played a huge roll in my life. I’m sure most of us can relate to a song on the radio. They always seem to pop on at just the right moment. My writing is purely the same. Words pop on or in at just the right moment, and I write them, play around with them, let them sing to me, sometimes even delete them. Yet they seem to find their way to my heart and hopefully to others. I do not share some of the works I have written. I’d be afraid that I’d scare someone! But the works I do share come from my heart and my soul. I can’t say that I have a muse, although my husband does supply quite a bit of background. I believe we all pull from those we know best.

So here I am. I write because it’s a way for me to express my feelings. To release a piece of me in hopes of reaching someone else who may be going through a difficult time. I have an amazing support system, my husband, who puts up with me getting up in the wee hours because something popped into my head and I need to get it down on paper before I forget it. My two children, Jonathan, who is my artist and has created my logo and the cover for an upcoming book of poetry and my daughter, Alyssa, my social media maven and that little voice you hear in your ear that inspires.

I have met so many wonderful people in the WP community and beyond, all of whom bring out the best in me. Let me introduce you to a very special person.

I have a friend who writes, and inspires me and I’d like to share him with you. His name is Eric Huffman. His writing makes you think. It awakens your senses. His moods are dark, and light, and yet always tell a story. He has a great sense of humor and a kind heart. He also runs a group on Facebook called Crow’s Quill Writing Group.  Check it out! I invite you to learn more about Eric by visiting his blog http://erichuffman.com

Eric also decided to join in this Blog Hop and will be posting his own “Why I Write” post, so keep an eye out for it.

Thank you for letting me share a piece of who I am.

Dorinda