This site is a vehicle for me to express my creativity and talk about the things I believe in.

Yes, I do believe in something. A few somethings. And I believe in them strongly.

A quick tour of my header graphic will give you an idea of what some of those things are:

• The elk at the left-hand side of the header represents freedom. In my Google searches, I discovered that, in some native North American cultures, the elk symbolizes freedom and strength. I’ve always loved the elk, and actually managed to write one into a story many years ago. It’s a beautiful, noble, animal, and it captures the spirit of freedom perfectly for my purposes.
• The pen and inkwell symbolize creativity. This is a symbol I’ve chosen myself, as writing is and always has been important to me. It not only symbolizes my own personal creative expression; it also represents our ability, in western culture, to express ourselves freely and without fear of retribution. Most of the time, anyway.
• The tree in the middle is the hazel tree. In Celtic culture, the hazel is a symbol of wisdom. My use of it here is also a nod to the Celtic Tree of Life, which symbolizes the interconnectedness of all life on Earth. We need more wisdom in the world, and thank goodness more and more people are starting to realize how connected everything is.
• At the upper right of the header are the Chinese characters for “respect”. This is a big one for me. I don’t see enough respect in the world as I move through it, and I also know I need to work on my own self-respect. Most of the problems in the world today can be traced back to a lack of respect for something or someone, or one’s self.
• At the far right, we have the internationally known symbol for peace. What more need I say? It’s something almost everyone wants. Except weapons manufacturers, perhaps.
• Finally, the map beneath it all represents discovery, which is what life is all about. It’s an antique map, so it also represents history, and learning from the past. It also means that the way we thought things were is not always the way they really are. And we need to remember that.

Note how I’ve positioned the elk near North America, the hazel tree over the British Isles, and the Chinese characters over Asia.

I’m clever that way.