Aim for the Stars

By

For as long as I can remember, I have been intensely fond of reading, a lover of literature and a collector of books, both fiction and non-fiction.  This love affair I believe was partly borne of my difficult upbringing.  Books became my solace and my comfort in times of torment; a means of escape from a haunted reality...  

When I wasn't reading, while most kids were preoccupied with the latest toys, I was pretending to be a librarian with a stack of books and a pen to scan the make-believe bar codes.  Does anybody else remember the old school scanner from the Toowoomba City Library that looked like a pen?!  I loved that thing! 

Aside from my librarian play, I often dreamed of becoming a famous writer some day.  I knew if I was to be handed an unconditional wish that would enable me to be made into absolutely anything in the world, I would choose to be an author.

~   

In 2005 I completed the first term of Year 11 before terminating my high school education at the age of 16.  My marks were brilliant and I loved the learning environment of school, I just could not handle the daily bullying a single moment longer.

My previous blogs have detailed the majority of what happened next so I won't rehash those events here but suffice it to say, I all but flushed my writer dream down the sewer pipes.... or so I thought!

To be where I am today, witnessing the beginning of my biggest aspirations come to fruition, is not somewhere I ever thought I would be.  My husband's faith in me, on the other hand, never faltered for even a second.


The past 18 months, and indeed even the months prior to that, when I first commenced my university admissions test and essay in 2018, I was supported and encouraged every step of the way.

~

This month I completed the remainder of my prerequisite university courses and applied for my Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Creative and Critical Writing.  Applications normally take around 10 days to be processed so imagine my surprise when a commonwealth supported place offer showed up in my inbox the very next day!  I squealed and jumped up and down with excitement, leaping into the arms of my champion, cheerleader and soul mate!

I am so very excited for this next chapter of my life and enormously grateful to be so completely enveloped in love.  My mother has also always told me I was destined for a career in writing but, not having the greatest self esteem, I mostly passed her comments off as being biased.  After all, every parent thinks their child is amazing, right?!  It wasn't until I retained a perfect GPA score of 7.0 throughout my prerequisite studies that I began to actually realise, "Hey, I just might have something here and I really can make this happen if I give it my all!"

~


To her who first encouraged my reading obsession, bought me books I still own to this day and took me on weekly outings to the local library to exchange my gigantic stacks of books; she who still has every one of my children's books written for the Book Week competitions in primary school and who spent countless hours laying beside me on my bed in the evenings, listening to me read out loud- thank you.  I have endless gratitude to you for passing down your own personal adoration of written works and for fostering the flickering sparks of perceived talent you glimpsed within me over the years.  I don't think I would be at this huge milestone without you and I'm blessed to be your daughter.



I am looking forward to the future and the furthering of my passions.  My heart is more at peace than it has been in years! ❤  







google.com, pub-5896944412523933, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0





Comments

  1. UnknownJune 20, 2020 at 5:53 PM

    Wow, brilliant, I for one couldn't be happier or prouder of you my darling daughter, you have certainly got this!! xx

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Til Death, did we Part

By
Image
TRIGGER WARNING: this post contains very graphic detail, which some may find distressing My eldest son, Lachlan, did not ever meet his biological father, Dean.  Their entire father/son relationship amounted to approximately 3 telephone calls throughout the time between Lachlan's birth in 2010, and Dean's untimely death.  This aside, Lachlan and I were both lucky enough to find an amazing man, who not only loved me more fiercely and passionately than I had ever known, but also loved my son as though he were his own—Chris—the first man I ever truly loved.   When Chris and I discovered I was pregnant, we were surprised but thrilled.  We had our first ultrasound at 6 weeks and I will never forget the look of sheer wonder, delight and adoration on Chris's face as he watched the screen and listened to our baby's heartbeat.   I recall thinking, this is how it's supposed to be —i t's going to be so different this time around — it's going to be perfect.....
Read more

Confessions of a Pro-life Mother: there but for the grace of God go I

By
Image
I have always been open about being pro-life. I know this is a sensitive topic but please hold off on lugging out the torches and pitchforks just yet. There is a heartfelt story behind my steadfast view. A few months ago an acquaintance accused me of unfairly judging my fellow women by being pro-life, rather than pro-choice.  I responded, 'I don't judge women who make that choice because, there but for the grace of God, go I.' She replied, 'So, you're pro-life but don't judge a woman for making a choice? I don't understand.' Well, what led me to be pro-life? That is the story that needs telling to answer her question. I was 20 years old when I learned I was pregnant for the first time. A few months prior, I fled from a toxic 2 year, on again/off again relationship, riddled with domestic violence and drug dependence. He was what I thought at the time was my first love. How wrong I was. I had no idea what love was then, but he was all I knew. I was dy...
Read more

Jimmy Crow of Crow's Nest, Queensland

By
Image
Crow, Jim (c. 1825—c. 1884) by C M Wormington Jim ‘Jimmy’ Crow (c. 1825—c. 1884), camp operator and Indigenous guide, was born in the 1820s, in the Darling Downs, Queensland (Kerkhove 2020). His exact birth and death dates remain unknown and, in addition, it is unclear whether Crow's surname was associated with his crow-like appearance or his moiety (Kerkhove 2020); in fact, many aspects of Crow's early life are disputed. This can most likely be attributed to his younger years having occurred in early Aboriginal times. Written history from these times is ‘…almost non-existent’ (McGreevy 2003, para. 1) and, because of this, there is a large gap in the documented facts of Crow’s life. This gap ranges from his birth, up until approximately his early 20s. Popular belief holds that the entire name ‘Jim Crow’ was given to him by the early settlers (Watson 2020), with his traditional birth name remaining a mystery; however, Kerkhove (2020) did not acknowledge this theory in hi...
Read more

Best Friends Forever

By
Image
People say, " you don't know what you've got until it's gone" but the truth is, with Brad, I always knew.  The statement,  "True friends are like diamonds, precious but rare..." is so, so very true and it was never lost on me, that Brad was one of my diamonds.    2012 was, undoubtedly, the worst year of my life and the final kick in the guts, just one day before it ended, was a phone call during which I learned my best friend had left this world.  I will never forget the crashing in my ears, the sinking pit in my stomach, my knees hitting the floor as my legs gave way, the unshakeable belief that every person I loved seemed cursed to die.  Life seemed hell bent on slamming me back to the floor again, every time I found my feet. ~ To go back to where it all began, Brad was originally close mates with Dean, the biological father of my eldest son.  Early on in my pregnancy, when Dean and I were still together, Brad often looked out for me, ensuri...
Read more

Tales of a VBAC Hypnobirth

By
Image
Parts of this birth story are written in 'Hypnobirthing Language' which changes a lot of medical terms to gentler words. The medical terms are added in brackets the first time each is used. This story begins with the events that shaped my views of birth. In 2010 I gave birth to my first child. At two weeks overdue, I was induced and my labour was horrific, as were my postpartum complications. I now attribute this to the fact my labour was artificially induced. In December 2011, I fell pregnant with my second child. During the first trimester, my loving partner tragically passed away in our home during an epileptic seizure. Remembering how traumatic my first birth was, I didn't believe I'd cope, especially given the dark place I was already in. Instead, I opted for an elective C-section. Early in my final pregnancy, I discovered a place I now view as The Gold Standard in prenatal and postnatal care: My Midwives . I cannot speak highly enough of My Midwives and the ...
Read more

The Day the Virus Came

By
Image
We will never forget the year 2020.Countries shut down, children were pulled from schools, the stock market crashed, and unemployment hit a record high of 14.7%, the highest it has been since 1948 (Thompson 2020).  With this new world, birthed by a foreign virus, so too, came a surge in mental health and domestic violence crises. The global death toll is currently at 382,412 (Worldometer 3 June 2020) but the true statistics are likely much higher. The forgotten numbers are found in suicides of isolated depression sufferers, murdered children and partners forcibly quarantined in violent homes, and people with chronic illnesses, too afraid to attend critical medical appointments for fear of contracting the deadly Coronavirus.  Additionally, drug overdoses from relapses that may never have occurred had the addicts had access to their support networks and meetings, would further inflate the tally. Indeed, we will never forget the year 2020; the year the COVID-19 pandemic came...
Read more

For the Love of Difficult Children

By
Image
No parent signs up for children with behavioural or emotional disabilities. Heck, if it worked that way, none of us would. But oh, what a gift would be lost to this world. Difficult children grow into strong willed adults, champions of the causes they believe in; dream chasers, peacemakers, and driven entrepreneurs.  They are worth all the tears, sleepless nights, judgemental stares, and specialist appointments.   I was a difficult child; now I am raising one. I know you are exhausted, Mumma, but to your little boy, you are Wonder Woman , battling his demons and bringing calm to the chaos of his overwhelmed mind. Breathe—you've got this.   Dad, I see you struggling with the weight of working hard, only to come home to World War III in your living room, when all you want is peace and quiet.   To the single parent weeping in your car, after your daughter threw the mother of all tantrums in the supermarket, I think you are a rock star. ~  ...
Read more

An Open Letter to my Father

By
Image
Dear Dad, It’s been years since we last spoke. I was pregnant with my first child; you were sectioned in a psychiatric hospital again. I’d visited you there many times over the years, as a child and as an adult. I feel I owe you an explanation as to why I had to walk away.   My childhood seems like a good place to begin. I vividly recall you telling me at Family Court, right before you were stripped your parental responsibility and visitation rights, that I was strong like you. You told me this strength was what enabled me to endure and withstand all of the pain. That day was the first and only time I saw you cry. I remember how hard you hugged me; how tightly you clung to me. Your exact final words as I was escorted from the room were: 'God, I love you, kiddo.' What you may not know is that it wasn’t any perceived strength that allowed me to speak to you that day when my brother refused. It was the panic button located beneath the Family Report Writer's desk. That discr...
Read more