Every great book has a beginning that draws you in, content that fills you with emotion and an ending that either leaves you wanting more or leaves you content in the knowledge that the book has fulfilled it’s purpose and like all great stories, must come to it’s natural end.  The book of my life has chapters full of joy, tragedy, searching, love, chaos, resentment, faith, heartache, healing, forgiveness, loss, friendship and continual learning.  When time eventually leads me to the last page of my book, the page that reads ‘The End,’ I want to know that each chapter of my life had a purpose and that I made the most of the knowledge I gained. Recently I’ve started a new chapter. This chapter is all about defining myself. Who am I? What do I want out of life. What do I have of myself to give to others? So, I’ll start by giving the answers that I do know…so far….

Hi, my name is Melanie. I never liked my name, for 2 reasons: First, everyone tends to call me Mel for short, and I’ve always viewed Mel as a male name (from the t.v. show ‘Mel’s Diner’) and secondly because, as a child, I would be called Smelanie. Within the last maybe 10 years I’ve decided that my name is actually pretty cool. It’s kind of folksy, a bit melodic and fairly unique. So, my name is Melanie…and I love being a Melanie.

What I want out of life is probably what everyone else wants: love, happiness, security, the ability to watch my son grow up to become a great man (he’s well on his way!), to have fulfilling relationships with my friends and family. Financial security is on that list, of course, but life is really about experiences, not things (although things sometimes make those experiences a lot more fun 😉

What do I have of myself to give to others? Stories. Insight. Encouragement. Honesty. A different perspective. Life experience. Maybe a good chuckle or two? I want to connect with people and I’d love for people to want to connect with me. My blog is just little snippets of my life, past, present and maybe things that I’d like for the future. If I can encourage someone, make someone laugh, have someone feel like they’re not alone in their experiences, possibly inspire someone to start a new chapter in their life book, or perhaps to reflect on the chapters that have already been finished and to find their purpose, then this blog will be well worth the typing cramps in my fingers 🙂