My Daily Piece of Heaven

Way back when I started blogging, I had a comment from a published romance author. I had never heard of her before, but I began to follow her blog. I loved her voice and her humor, and I especially loved how she was so open and honest about her life. Her name is Suzanne McMinn.

There was one post in particular that really hit home with me. She asked herself, "Are you really happy?" and discovered that the answer was a resounding NO. So she packed up her belongings in suburbia and moved to the hills of West Virginia with her three children. A few years later, she still writes novels, but she is also now a farmer. She has slowly built her farm from scratch - literally. She now has chickens, goats, sheep, a sheepdog, and farm cats. She grows a garden. Her children are discovering the value of living and working on a farm. She loves to cook and bake and comes up with the most delicious recipes. Over Christmas, she made homemade crafts and shared it all on her blog. You can read about her amazing journey here.

Her blog, Chickens in the Road, is my daily slice of heaven. It never fails to bring a smile to my face. Suzanne posts pictures of her farm animals, of her children, of the crafts and food she's made, of the beautiful West Virginia landscape, and she continues to entertain with her wit and wonderful view on life.

I owe a great deal to Suzanne. When I read the post on "Are you really happy?" it made me stop and take stock of my own life. Was I really happy? And my answer was a resounding NO. Frankly, I was completely miserable. My toxic marriage had started to take a toll on my health, both mentally and physically, which in turn affected my daughter. I walked around like I had the burden of the world on my shoulders. I didn't smile a lot. I didn't laugh a lot. And I asked myself, "Do you want to live like this the rest of your life?" And again, the answer was a resounding NO.

While I know Suzanne's life is not perfect, I see her joy for her newfound life on every blog post, in every picture. And it is a deep and pure joy. She didn't take an easy path to get there, but the results have, I'm sure, been completely worth it.

Though my journey has just begun, I am already smiling more, already laughing more (though the days when I cry or feel blue are there, too) and I look forward to the future now more than I ever did before. I now have hope for that future, when before I didn't.

So this is to say "thank you" to Suzanne for giving me the courage to make the tough decisions, to realize that we only have one life in this world, and that we need to make the most of it.

If you get a chance, take a moment to visit Suzanne at the Chickens in the Road blog. Maybe you, too, will find your own daily slice of heaven!