If there’s one thing I’ve learned in almost 80 years, it’s that life rarely follows the plans we make for it.

• I’ve been a stay-at-home mom who had the privilege of raising two wonderful children.
• I’ve served as a PTA president and a Girl Scout leader.
• I’ve taught Sunday School to a room full of energetic kids.
• I’ve sewn clothes, done alterations, and helped people feel a little better about themselves.
• I’ve been a Regional Vice President for a large cable television company, overseeing operations across North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida.
• I’ve sold real estate for years—and I’m still helping people find the place they call home.
• I’ve lived the country life in an old farmhouse with a wraparound porch, a big garden, chickens in the yard, and shelves full of home-canned food.
• I was raised by a remarkable single mother after my father died when I was nine years old. She taught me something that has stayed with me every day since: never quit… and never believe you can’t do something just because you’re a girl.

Have I made mistakes? More than a few. Have I taken wrong turns? Absolutely. Would I change any one of them? Probably not, because every twist in the road taught me something I needed to know.

Today, at almost 80 years old…

I’m beginning another chapter. One that’s filled with old-fashioned wisdom, Granny’s stories, herbs from the garden, simple living, faith, laughter, and the lessons that only come from living long enough to collect a few scars along the way.

Most of all, it’s a chapter about discovering that God isn’t finished writing our story just because we’ve turned another page.

And this next chapter?

Well… it starts with a garden hose and a bag of mulch.