I entered a statewide writing contest for college students in my sophomore year at a state university. There was a run-off between me and one other student.

We sat in a cold basement room for two hours as we wrote impromptu essays in response to a question given to us. The other student wore starched and ironed clothes, had brought two pens and three sharpened pencils, smiled, exuded self-confidence and wrote calmly and steadilyfor most of the entire two hours. I wore an old torn sweatshirt, jeans and a faded tee shirt, had one leaky pen and spent most of the two hours sweating as I took notes, scribbled half formed sentences into a rough draft and paused endlessly, it seemed, trying to think of what to write next. When it was over, she handed in about sixteen pages and I handed in three.

Sure I'd lost the contest, I went home to let my friends console me with beer and pot. There was a knock on the door and I answered it, shocked to receive a telegram saying I'd won! And there was a check waiting for me for $2500 at the university. I joyfully ran back there, a distance of three miles, to claim my check, all the while remembering something my writer father used to say:

"The writer sweats so the reader doesn't have to."

When I studied at university, and when I have finished my studies succesfully.

Witnessing the births of my children.

Finding out I was pregnant with my daughter, her birth, and every single day we´ve spent together ever since.❤💚💙

When I think about it, my life doesn't have a lot of highs :/

this is beautiful guys

May 1999, August 2002, June 2005. When they took their first breath and I first held them

Getting grade A and first job.

First daughter was born.

Weekend I went camping with friends, we had pretty good food, drinks, up in the middle of nowhere next to a lake for night swimming, it was great

My grandson when he was born 4 years ago