When I sit down to write a story, the first thing I see is nothing. The story looms somewhere in the shades of my mind and eludes words. It’s easy to decide it’s too much trouble and turn away from the endeavor. While there is nothing wrong with that, I’ve discovered that creating stories is beyond rewarding. Beyond enriching. Just like any journey you take, whether it’s to the grocery store, overseas, into literature and music, the journey of creation reveals more than a story. It illuminates the world around us.

I am ready and willing to push beyond the comfortable, the ordinary, the expected, the usual and lead people into the truth through stories that show that no matter the circumstances, the setbacks, the loss of hope … there is a better way to face adversity, to restore, and to impact the world.

The empty page taunts me and I remind myself there’s a better way, and while I falter just as much as anyone, I rely on good people such as you to guide me back to the path that leads out of darkness and into revelation. We are in this world together and have the capacity to move mountains, to turn nothing into something, and to grow together.