I was born on . . . scared you, didn't I? I won't bore you with all the details of birthdate, where and when I attended school, etc., but I will tell you that I was born and raised in South Philadelphia, and I'm still very proud of being a South Philly Girl. And I have the accent to prove it! I had an innocent, idyllic childhood (of course, I didn't realize it then) and I was blessed with the gift of unconditional love from two fantastic parents. I thought all children were so blessed, and I was terribly shocked to discover that was not the birthright of every child. Here's a picture of me at Independence Hall.
There were always pets in the house, which is why I'm so fond of dogs and cats and write about them so frequently. I can't imagine a life without a fur baby (or two or three) by my side. This is me with Teddy, the wonderful dog I grew up with. We're in the backyard of our house. I nicknamed him Charlie because, as I explained to my mother, "I can't say Teddy."
I met my husband at my first full-time job, fresh out of high school. Tall, dark and handsome, he fit all the pictures I'd had in my mind of the perfect guy. I didn't even know his last name when I wrote in my diary, "I'm going to marry John - - - - someday." You'll notice that I left four spaces; you'll also notice that my last name is Hahn. 'Nuf said. He didn't have a chance!
We thought we were ever-so-grown up when we married and moved into a furnished house in Bellmawr, NJ. Truth is, we were babes in the woods, and how we managed to set up housekeeping, work full time, and raise three sons without the slew of advice available in books/websites/TV shows nowadays is a mystery to me.
We moved to a small town in Ohio in 1975; it was the perfect spot for my boys' growing-up years. They could walk or ride bikes everywhere, in the days before parents had to fear a child molester on every corner. We had a huge backyard, shaded with enormous trees, where the boys played and got suitably grimy. Of course, the nice lawn out front was the site of fierce football games, and the turf took some beating up.
Raising boys was . . . an experience. Author Judith Viorst (the mother of three sons) wrote a marvelous piece about how she was meant to be the mother of girls, and how they'd be best friends, paint one another's toenails, etc. Instead, she writes of how boys are so physical, and enjoy being dirty and wearing the same clothes day after day. She totally nailed it.
There is not sufficient room to go into the details here, but trust me when I tell you that I thought I was aware of all the "mischief" (read trouble) my sons got into when they were young. Not so. I'm still learning about a few escapades every time they get together, and it's better this way, I think. If I'd known, back then, I wouldn't have been able to look any of my neighbors in the eye. I'm happy to announce, however, that all three have turned into fine, upstanding citizens . . . for the most part. But we won't go there because we all have our little idiosyncracies, right?
After the boys were grown and gone, John and I began talking about downsizing from the big old Victorian house in Ohio and, through a serendipitous series of events, we moved to Hilton Head Island permanently in 2004. Living in this magical place has taken my writing to an entirely different level because just walking out the door inspires me. Most days, I ride my bike to work. I might see an alligator sunning itself on the bank of a lagoon. I pass stables on my journey, and I always greet the horses near the fence. Perhaps I'll see a great blue heron, or several egrets lining another lagoon that's on the way. Lately, there have been pelicans fishing in the tidal creek just behind the place where I work. I love watching them - they're so prehistoric looking!
I realize that I am so richly blessed that it's unfathomable, but I don't ask why because I don't believe we "earn" our blessings, any more than we earn our tribulations. But I sincerely believe that God gave me a gift and put me here for a reason. So when I experience the abundant wonders of nature, I feel it's my duty to share what I see -- and feel -- because it would be a travesty not to share it. So I'll go on writing my stories and poems, and I hope you'll go on reading and enjoying them.
To read more of my work, please check out my blogs by clicking on the link at the upper left of this page.