Like most of us, real writing began for me with assignments at school, progressing to term papers and reports in college and on to, regional health plans, technical reports and proposals related to health and mental health, grants, program proposals, and strategic plans in my professional life. Alongside the writing for my professions, have been opportunities, given or simply claimed, to put my thinking on the page in the form of political and social commentary, position paper, speeches, public policy development and letters to the editor. While getting affirmation and compliments from friends, colleagues, family members, I have also had tastes of verbal sticks and stones, threats of violence, and threats of death from those opposed to the positions or perspectives encompassed in that writing. The last time the hate, threats of violence, and shouts of denigration came my way was in the 90's, and I got more cautious, less "out there"-this blog is a reflection of a decision to once again step out in a more public way. Of course all my angst getting to this point will be good for a laugh at myself if "out there" ends up meaning only 5 of loyal friends actually reading any of it.
So onward I go, into the adventure of blogging. To quote a line from the song that gave rise to the name I choose for this blog, "if you hear the song I sing, you will understand that you hold the key to love and fear...just one key unlocks them both...try to love one another right now" and I hope the sum of the words I write will be some small part of making more of that starting to make its way around our country.
