2014 saw a lot of loss with the passing of friends and family. My uncle died in his home, a film maker friend took his own life and a musician friend suffered from a cold for days and ultimately died, I haven't heard the cause yet, but wonder if it might have been pneumonia.  Our jobs as massage therapists haven't panned out as well as we'd hoped, the spa we both worked at closed it's doors and the part time work at the University Wellness Center is hit and miss on clientele keeping their appointments. And in late Spring I developed an allergic reaction to my blood pressure medication that sent me to the hospital and sent me into a mild anaphylactic shock. From that experience I now get allergic reactions to a variety of unknown things, including some ingredient(s) found in the massage lotion we used at the spa which closed.

On the positive side of 2014, Dean and I got married in May. We had a pirate-gypsy themed wedding that pretty much was a large party for all the family and guest. Just what we wanted it to be. The remainder of 2014 was a financial struggle for us as jobs in Springfield for LMT's (licensed massage therapists) are few, the market is glutted due to a massage school being here in town. Jobs, in fact, are still an endangered species here in town as large chain grocery stores have recently closed their doors, fast food restaurants and factories had all shut down suddenly.

   But we continue to be thankful for what we have, love for each other and good friends, and I look for wisdom from the goddesses to guide me along my path. Last year was pegged for the publishing of my sixth book and first fiction, but again, difficulties arose that set everything back several months. However, as of this writing, I am editing the proof copy of my novel, The Haunting of Booger County. The completed edition will be for sale in February and also marks a huge step of faith in the fact that I've started my own publishing company. Growling Pumpkins Press.

   Sometimes in the face of odds stacked against us, when the jobs and money are failing, when friends and family move on from this world and leave us behind, we must think ahead, move beyond our comfort zone, let our steps of faith lead us into the next phase of our walk on this planet. I recently had a numerology session done during the blog radio program I co-host and was told 2015 was going to be a breakthrough year for me. Is it mere coincidence that my first novel is published in 2015? That this means I move beyond the regional books about ghosts that I'm known for in my state, perhaps not. Perhaps things are falling into place and there was a hand gently pushing the circumstances that kept the book from being published with the publisher I had before taking the reigns myself.

  I wait anxiously to see how the rest of 2015 will play out.