I grew up in a very tiny town in the northeast corner of SouthDakota. I had two hard working parents that created a very stableenvironment for my older sister, my older brother and me. Welearned the value of a dollar at a very early age and started doingodd jobs that brought about the funding necessary for treasureslike mood rings and clock radios purchased at the tiny little"general" store that was a two minute bike ride away from ourhouse. As time went on we entered adulthood and the odd jobsbecame full time jobs that paid bills and bought homes thatprovided a sense of security and wellbeing we once enjoyed underour parents' roof. After graduating with honors from high schoolI probably should have gone on to college but decided not to.Instead I worked some part time jobs, married the wrong man andlearned that life is full of choices and challenges. I learned thatthe challenges present some very difficult decisions and thechoices aren't always as clear as we would like them to be but atthe end of every day, if we're paying attention, there is alwayssomething to be thankful for.About 5 years ago I started jotting down a few thoughts andover time those thoughts turned into walks down memory lane, strides through difficult times, reflections on aging parents, commentary on customers, marches through marital bliss andevery thought that transpired helped me to realize just how uniquewe all really are. We look different, we talk different, we havedifferent opinions and that seemingly unending thought is, in fact, unending.It wasn't long before I realized I had developed a passion forwriting and when shared, I learned that my choice of words tendsto invite readers to go right along with me and my thoughts. Myinspiration is sparked sometimes by the smallest details includedin the credits of an ordinary day while other times it's ignited byexperiences brought about by circumstances a bit more unusualand unexpected.Bevitized! is a collection of short stories. They're not in anyparticular order. There are stories that transpired before myparents passed away, whimsical humor from my childhood days, revelations from marriage number one and marriage number "Ifinally got this right" as well as a great assortment of inspirationthat took root and grew while I managed custom frame shops, inspired creativity at fabric stores, sorted mail and managed postoffices, worked as a florist, managed a c-store and bookedreservations at a hotel. My life has not been boring. I've met a lotof interesting people and not one of them fit into the "cookiecutter" mentality we're forced to be a part of when we make ourway into the world!I so hope you enjoy this journey. If I did, indeed, accomplishwhat I set out to do, you will laugh, be inspired, shed a tear andrealize you may not have wrinkles on your forehead just like Idon't or have a big sister that couldn't spell "blood" in third gradejust like me or hated weeding a mile long row of green beans justlike me but that you are "You-nique" just like you and you'reworth celebrating!