The Beginning: Making Dreams Come Alive

As the oldest sibling, I am not accustom to be confronted by my younger siblings. But, last weekend, that is exactly what occurred.

My brother, JohnMark, is almost 16 years old. He is funny, but also very philosophical. So, when he popped up on facebook chat and said he had a question for me....I honestly thought it would be about something silly (like girls) or something deep (like politics).

Turns out, it was neither. It had to do with me.

He said: "Now that Ben is pursuing his dreams [Ben is in school, but also running his own business], when are you going to start pursuing yours?"
I'll admit. I was very confused by this. "What do you mean?"
"You love to write." He replied. "But you don't do anything with that love."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "Some of my best childhood memories were listening to the stories you use to tell. You've talked about writing them down, and making them into something. But you haven't. And, now Baby A is on the way. More than that, I want my kids to know about Mongo."
I was stunned by his statement.
Mongo is this character I created in which I crafted multiple stories surround the adventures with Mongo and told the stories to my siblings. Always a new story, a new adventure, and unbeknown to me, I was crafting memories that would play vital part of my siblings' lives. Who knew?

I love writing. I really do. It challenges me, it relaxes me, and honestly, I love having an audience to share with too. This is why I love my blog so much. I have so much fun doing something I love. Truly, truly love. Yet, JohnMark sparked an old flame in my writing soul. He reminded me of my dreams, my fears, my hopes. More than that, he made me realize what an opportunity I have to craft my passion into art to be enjoyed by others.

With that in mind, I plan to do something I've never had the courage to do: put Mongo on paper. Recount the stories, and begin to pursue this dream.