Sharing my excitement.

It's happened, my second manuscript was picked up by Strategic Publishing, and last week I signed on with Writer's Literary Agency. If that wasn't the best news, my work will be professionally critique for the first time and I have an author blog ready for viewing, http://sahra.aegauthorblogs.com

It won't be long now...Good-bye Dollar General!!!

"Check It Out"

A Place Near the Shore

Berlin, Md is just a few miles before you get to Ocean City, Maryland on Rt 50. Nestled just off the highway, it's more laid back, then Ocean City. In recent years this area became more and more attractive to retiree's who like the idea of growing old close to the Ocean.

Historic Berlin has that old country charm and gets a good many of their own tourists passing through each year. Berlin's History is rich with many land marks, such as the historic Atlantic Hotel, which still functions as a Hotel, and The Globe which offers the best in fine dining and local entertainment this area can offer to tourists and locals a like.

The Atlantic Hotel sits in the middle of down town Berlin. At moments glance the Atlantic Hotel will memorize you with it's authentic Victorian charm. The moment you step on

the porch that's surrounds the hotel, you are whisked away to a time when life was much

simpler. You can easily imagine yourself drinking tea with white gloved hands, chatting merrily about the days events as you sit along side a white scarf table as a gentle ocean breeze blows.

Once you walk through the threshold of the Atlantic Hotel time has stood still. The

interior of this place is breath taking, full of early period style and flair. Every room in the

Atlantic Hotel, beautifully decorated with antiques and Victorian decor, I promise the

experience will stay with you long after you leave. Check out it for yourself at www.atlantichotel.com

Then just around the corner, The Globe. This fine dinning place is a special treat in it's

own right. This two story historic building also dates back to the early nineteen hundreds.

As your food is being prepared, you can walk around and check out some of the local artists

and see their work display through out The Globe. Then as you eat, you can be entertain by the local musicians. If your are lucky and visit on Thursday evenings you will be able to have your cards read by the local Psychic, Carol who visits twice a month. Check it out! www.globetheater.com

Between the finely prepared meal and the local award winning entertainment, you will visit the Globe again, and again. Bring family and friends, Berlin has some of the best Art Galleries and gift shops on the East Coast, All is welcome! Maybe a romantic getaway is in the future, the Atlantic Hotel is perfect. You won't be disappointed.

In Memory of Helene Bailey

Until Then

In Memory Helene Bailey

4/13/10

I received the news you had passed.

I am sorry to see you go.

I wish I could have been there,

So I want you to know.

I will miss our little phone calls.

I will miss that crazy laugh.

I will miss that redneck honesty.

Knowing you would make me laugh!

I know you're safe.

And I know you're OK..

I can feel you closer.....

You are only a step away.

Where I will join you,

When my days end.

You better have a beer for me,

A cigarette and you know what then?

We will share old stories.

We'll laugh until we are blue.

I'll tell how much I love you.

Take this.... I hold is true.

You will always have my heart Helene.

My life was better knowing you.

The kindness of your heart,

I saw this and more in you.

No matter where my path goes,

Or where my future will lead.

I know you will walk beside me.

This I hold close inside of me.

So I won't say Good-bye,

Nor bid you a farewell.

I will just say this my dear friend.

I will see you later,

So take care... Until Then!

A co-worker and special friend at Dollar General, Berlin, Md She will be missed!

Berlin, Md

A Dollar General in Berlin Md

Not far from the beach,

A few miles up the road.

There's a little tiny town,

Berlin it is known!

In this little town

A Dollar General store rests.

Between a Subway and Food Lion,

Serving the public and it's special guests.

There's some very special girls

I've known for a while.

There's Kelly, Helene, and Teresa,

They will greet you with a smile.

Kelly's country music playing over the air.

Be sure, this Dollar General is a family affair.

Though the Holidays are frightful.

We all have found fond memories to share.

Like when the momma duck

And her eleven baby chicks.

Waddle right through the store.....

This memory is fixed.

I had made a lot friends

During the time I work there.

Friendships that will carry me

And precious memories my heart bares

Though my life may take

A different path to wear.

I will always carry with me,

These cherished memories I'll share.

Through the years we cross paths with other souls either through work or play and you become very close. Then one day comes and things go a different way. With this poem, I want to honor the girls I worked with and my two years in Ocean City Maryland at that Dollar General Store in Berlin.

About a month after I move to Ocean City, Md my relationship with my boyfriend hit rock bottom and he went back to Hagerstown. I was so ready to move out of my cousin's home where I share a house with three men. This arrangement was not going to work. The very same day my boyfriend left, I went job hunting.

My first place, the Dollar General, in Ocean City, Md. Just a short mile up the road, in a small out door mall. I figure if I started here, somewhere in this maze of retail shops, I would find work. I did retail, off and on for years, so my hopes were high. Sure enough, I was hired on the spot and started my new job in less then a week with Dollar General as a Cashier/Clerk.

It wouldn't take long I would transfer to the Dollar General in Berlin, Md. I worked in Ocean City for several months and I was ready to take on a better position with more money and Kelly, the manager at the Dollar General offered me a job in Berlin, so I jumped on it. Besides it was a month or so into Spring and Ocean City was already opening up to tourists and I didn't want to be in the middle of all this summer craziness. Berlin was an ideal location for me.

Berlin, Md is just a few miles before you get to Ocean City on Rt 50. Nestled just off the highway, it's where most of the year round locals choose to live. Historic Berlin has that old country feel and gets a good many of their own tourists passing through each year. Berlin's History is rich with many land marks, such as the historic Atlantic Hotel, which still functions as a Hotel, and The Globe which offers the best in fine dining and local entertainment.

The Atlantic Hotel sits in the middle of down town Berlin. You can't help be memorize by it's Victorian charm. The moment you step on

the porch that's surrounds the hotel, you are whisked away to a time when life was much

simpler. You can easily imagine yourself drinking tea with white gloved hands, chatting merrily

about the days events as you sit along side a white scarf table with a gentle ocean breeze

blowing.

Once you walk through the threshold of the Atlantic Hotel time has stood still. The

interior of this place is breath taking, full of early period style and flair. Every room in the

Atlantic Hotel, beautifully decorated with antiques and Victorian decor, I promise the

experience will stay with you long after you leave.

Check out it for yourself at www.atlantichotel.com

Then just around the corner, The Globe. This fine dinning place is a special treat in it's

own right. This two story historic building also dates back to the early nineteen hundreds.

As your food is being prepared, you can walk around and check out some of the local artists

and see their work display through out The Globe. Then as you eat, you can be entertain by the

local musicians. If your are lucky and visit on Thursday evenings you will be able to have your

cards read by the local Psychic, Carol who visits twice a month.

Yes, Berlin, Md is a very nice little town, I still have friends there I will carry with me the

rest of my life. Like the girls I worked with, Helene, Kelly, and Teresa at the Dollar General

in Berlin, Maryland.

Ocean City, Md

Ocean City, Maryland is a tourist area, and during the months between May through September

you can meet people from all walks of life. The area attracts a good many students from China,

Germany, Russia, and every where else. They come here to work and play. Many take jobs in the

fancy restaurants, fast foods and at the amusements parks that pepper this island strip during the

summer season. During the summer months this small area becomes so populated that traffic

backs up about everyday and the simplest of tasks like going to the supermarket is actually an

adventure into the unknown. What would be a ten minute ride could very easily take an hour.

I was amazed how many summer crazed people can be in one place. But if you ask the locals, the tourists over the last few years, because of gas prices, and the

high cost of living, has dropped by half and the other half staying for shorter periods of time.

Recently, the locals admitted they was seeing a lot more off season visitors then in the past.

When the season is over, many businesses will close for the winter. Staying open will only take

away any profit made during the season. The town literally goes in to hibernation. Only the

wealthiest stay open! Mostly local pubs and sports bars, that you can find in every nook and

cranny on the island. Life in Ocean City, Md. during the winter months is like night to day compared to summer.

Life is not easy for those who choose to called this area home. Year round work is non-existent

to strangers and the locals dislike the swarm of teenage foreigners that come in during the early

spring taking jobs that is desperately needed locally after a long winter.

Though with all the hardships this area has to deal with, Ocean City is a little place in

heaven. The Ocean gentle rolls on to soft sandy sea shell shore, with a rushing sound that

echo's deep in to your soul. The vastness of the sea before you envelopes your spirit and the

blue of bluest sky blankets the essence of your being. Then with a gentle steady breeze that

blows from origins unknown from some where in the middle, raises goose bumps even on the

warmest of days. As evening draws small twinkling bits of lights scatter the darking sky round a grayish

white moon. If you turn completely around you can watch the sun hover over the bluish gray

horizon as if time seems to cease and breathing stops ever so slightly. This is “Life” in it's

purest form, the way its been since the beginning. For a brief moment when no one is around

and it's just me sitting on the ocean dock watching the sea gulls take turns dipping their feet

in to the ocean. I feel connected to all that is around me. All that is part of me, my future, my

life today, even my past is part of all that brought me to that very moment on the dock.

I found a little piece of heaven in Ocean City, Md.

Ocean City, Maryland If you ever get a chance You must visit this town. It sits by the Ocean Visitors swarm from all around. You can walk the board walk And have some Thrashers Fries. Or you can play at the amusement park And ride on the wild rides. When you get hungry, The best food can be found. You must try the crab cakes, Ocean City is renowned. You can lay on the white sandy beach Soaking in the warmth of the sun. You can ride the rushing waves. This is just part of all the fun. The Bull on the Beach Is known all year round. Then there's Crab Alley, For the best crabs in town. Maybe a sweet tooth Is more your flair. Dozens of Candy Kitchens You'll find here and there. But the best part of all, Is the Ocean by far. The soft sandy beaches, The waves rolling on shore. So if you get a chance To visit this sea side town. Put your feet in the Ocean, Feel the feeling deep down. My first of many adventures to come.

The Easter Blessing

Easter is a time of Celebration.

Marking the end of winter,

Blessing us with a promise of Spring.

Easter is a time of Gratitude.

When winter nights grow shorter

And the warmth of the sun Bless our Spirit.

Easter is a time of New Life.

With the blooming of colorful flowers,

With a sweet fragrance that Bless our Senses.

Easter is a time of Renewal.

As life awakens from a long sleep.

We can feel the blessing of new beginnings.

Easter is a time of Promise.

When Faith guides our soul.

We look toward the future,

Bless for the better.

May we all be Bless this Easter.

Bits and Pieces of Life

Letting Go

I took a walk one day in May,

My heart was heavy, my thoughts far away.

I know my journey is mine to own.

My choices are my Consequences,

I must face them alone.

But, fear walks with me no matter where I go.

The unknown weighing heavy,

Is the fear I know.

With common sense playing a big part.

This part of spirit is closest to my heart.

We're not expected to know all the unknowns.

Nor the steps we walk in this world alone.

It's the thrill of the adventure,

Our spirit seeks to find.

The quicken of my heart

This part makes my spirit feel a live.

So I have learned....

Trust in your Faith, being patient as you go.

“Letting Go” allows the Spirit,

To follow the natural flow.

The day finally came, my Birthday September 7, 2007 and up to this point I spent the past two months selling everything I could, and trying to decide what to keep. I remember waking to a beautiful, bright fall morning, the air crisp and clear and the first thought I had was about this move. The time had come I would move to Ocean City, Md. I had a brother there and we would share a house. But I was coming from a full apartment of seven years, in Hagerstown, Md to one bedroom size. It took two months of planning, yard sales everyday, lists on top of lists of stuff I wanted, needed, and couldn't live without. I was taking a small pickup truck, my stuff either fit or I would leave it behind. I was surprise how much I just gave away. But now the actual move and it was too late to turn back now, so I got my coffee and started loading the pickup.

The story how I came to make this move is interesting and I can't help look back on this decision with a clearer understanding for this time in my life. But then...I was scared shitless!!

I was reading alot of Wayne Dyer books and the one thing he said, "Change your Thoughts, Change your Life" and I took it to heart in the mid summer of that very year.

The apartment I lived during my seven years in Hagerstown, was one of eight total apartments in this house like structure on Franklin Street. Many landlords bought up old houses barely passing housing codes and made apartments and rented them out to anyone who had the money up front. Franklin ran straight through the middle of Hagerstown and was the most direct road to D.C and the other direction to Balitimore. Franklin Street saw it all and with eight bars in between, I never felt safe to go out after dark. The building I live in seem to be the worst for drugs and crime and my landlord didn't care who he rent to. I witness shootings, stabbings, and Drug Raids any time, day or night, that summer seemed to be the worse.

One mid June morning, my neighbor on the bottom floor notice a foul smell coming from across the hall, the apartment directly under me. After not getting a response from his knocking and pounding the police was called. Breaking into the front ground level window, they found a young man laying on a mattress on the floor dead from a gun shot wound to the head. He had been dead for several days and with the summer heat and no air condition his body had decomposed to unspeakable state. I had only meant the young man maybe a couple of times. He was polite and very quiet. A very young man in his early twenties. He had only live down stairs a couple of months. I soon learned later that the only furnture the boy had in the apartment was the mattress and few personal belongings. The electric had been shut off so he been living there without power for some time. All I could think was how hot that apartment had to get with all the windows closed. Who ever done this didn't want him to be found for a long while. Looking back I remember how creepy still the block a had been during this time. There was some gossip that it was drug related, like most homacides in the area. But this happen right under me and I couldn't help but be freaked out.

The landlord and I had words about his choice of tenents on more then one occasion, so I felt from the get go, he had some responsiblity for the death of this young man. Then he took over two weeks to clean the mess. As long as I had lived there, that ground floor apartment was always trouble. It set right off the street and if someone wasn't renting, it didn't go empty. During the two weeks after the young man was found the apartment was left open to air out, some one set the apartment on fire. Thank God, I was already up when I smelled the smoke. I was watching the fire trucks leave and it was at this point I knew something had to change. I wanted out of Hagerstown, so I set into motion a plan that would get me out.

"Change your Thoughts, Change you Life" Ok Wayne, am ready to change my life!

My book was going to print about the same time of this move and I had been writing long enough to know I wasn't going to stop any time soon. I knew from the moment I wrote my first poem, I would find a way to write full time and make a living off of it. It didn't take long to realize I didn't want to be the "starving artist" so my first step was to downsize my life and honey that's what I did. Before I move to Kansas City I would do it again.

In Early May, before the death of this sad young man, I had been entertaining thoughts of a writing career. But in order to take these thoughts seriously I had to make some changes in my lifestyle. I took a few writing classes and graduated and was taking my sweet time, until...

I felt the Universe literally kick my butt. Watching the Fire Trucks drive off force me in to action. My intent was to start a new life in Ocean City, Md and I needed to clean house. I had gathered alot of stuff over seven years and taking from Cheryl Richardson the Life Coach, to make change you need to clean up your life to let new come in. The timing was as good as it was going to get. I started by getting rid of anything I didn't need, haven't use in the past month, or had more then I needed. A month long yard sale took care of most of this. What I hadn't sold by moving day, I gave away. Everything I was taking had to fit in a pick up truck, and in tow would be an old ferret name Angel and a small rescue tabby name Lili. It would take nearly nine hours to make the trip. As my boyfriend drove I watch out the window, I couldn't help feel alittle fearfull and at the same time I was excited. A new adventure was ahead and I knew in my heart, it had to be better then what I left behind.