For the past dozen years, I’ve written a weekly column for our local newspaper, The Fort Bend Herald. I have to thank my family for being supportive of the hours I spend in front of the computer, my fabulous editor at the Fort Bend Herald, Bob Haenel, for being the wind behind my back and the generous Hartman family for allowing me to work with them.

For someone who agonizes every single week about what she writes, having my words published for people to read is quite terrifying. Writing, like drawing and painting, is a reflection of the angels and demons inside our heads. It’s difficult to tell someone face to face about our fears and insecurities, but it’s easier, somehow, to put those not-always-rosy thoughts down on paper or a computer screen.

I read other people’s blogs, particularly my brother, Jeff’s, and marvel at how articulate they are and how they deftly use words and pictures to illuminate life. What I write won’t win prizes, but it’s the world as I see it. If you have insecurities, can laugh at your own foibles and stumble through life instead of gliding, then you’ve got a klutzy soul mate in me.

Come along for the ride. It might not always be picture perfect, and there will be bumps along the way, but it’ll be a truthful voyage. I’m glad for the company.