A Heart Full of Joy: Daily Perceptions on Life is a book with a year of daily reflections to help people see how they can make the world a better place for themselves and others. Why was this an important book for you to write?

I have always loved reading daily inspirations and reflections. One day, I just got it into my mind that I had something to say based on my own experiences and my unique view of the world, so why not share that with whomever was interested in reading it? About sixty percent of this book was written during my mother’s deteriorating health, death, and dealing with her estate. It gave me something more positive to focus upon and I wanted people to know that sadness and pain are part of the journey through which we find joy. Feel the emotions and let them go. These are the things that remind us how great it is to be alive.

How hard was it to come up with 365 separate perceptions to fill the book?

Actually, it wasn’t too hard to come up with topics to discuss. I would pull from my life, my feelings, the news – everything. What I did find a little hard was trying to not repeat the same messages or wording. I had to really think about the topic and why it was important to discuss, and how to go about it in a way that would open hearts and minds to lasting change.

What perception or reflection has the most meaning to you and why?

“Mommy Dearest” (May 20). That was my mother’s birthday. Our mothers are our teachers – they teach us how to behave or how not to behave. Good or bad, their lives are the parameters we set our own lives to live by.

What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?

I have two projects that I’ll be starting this summer and hope to have completed by the end of the year. One is an account of how we can help our aging parents and some of the trials and tribulations that may result based on my own experiences with my mother’s prolonged illness and death. The other project is a play based on some of the unbelievable things my family went through during my mother’s illness and our interactions with doctors and facilities. The phrase that truth is stranger than fiction would be applicable here.

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