Words the Water
Imagine a rough day at school. The bully on the playground, the popular girls teasing your outfits, or you made a mistake that you got in trouble. All you want to do is run. Run to a place you can't think or feel. Run to a place to cry.
For me, it was a river nearby. It had a large rock where I could sit, lay, or cry through the feelings as the sounds of the river took it all away. In the sun, rain, snow, or wind; I could sit there and listen to the sounds of the water. It was there I found my voice.
Silver River I called it in a poem when I was young and it is the sounds of water that help me to this day. It is what made me first want to be a children's book author.
Then the Idea was Born
Since my youth, I have moved to the Midwest of the US. I am Black with a white husband and two mixed children. With all the negativity in the world, I wanted to give my children something positive. Something beautiful that they could read when the world seemed too much. 'Good Night My Blessing' was the result. It is a love letter to my babies, always reminding them of my deepest love for them. I published it to share for all moms to give their children. The words a mom can share to let their children know that no matter what, they are our most cherished gifts.
However, I wanted to do more. I wanted them to know about the foundations of what makes them their unique selves. For this, I needed to dig deeper. I need to tell them about where their ancestors came from on both sides. How their home countries still help shape who they are today and whom they can become. To see that no matter what we look like, we all have more similarities than we think. I decided to start with the home country of their parents. Thus the 'Flag in Me' Series was created.
