Reusing my f*ck you cancer image from last month for this one.

I’m not sure it’s a gift, per se, but it’s the most important recently.

Someone I love was recently diagnosed with cancer, and thankfully, they have been declared cancer-free after surgery. The fight is not over yet, as they are undergoing a very long and painful recovery from surgery.

I’d write more, but I don’t want to cry.

Today’s #Bloganuary prompt: What is the most memorable gift you have received?

I am not really into genealogy. My mom, however, is very into this stuff. I’m sure she could write pages and pages about it.

Me, on the other hand, I can tell you this:

• My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all born in the United States.
• Before that, my ancestors came from Europe. England, Ireland, Scotland perhaps, Germany, and maybe Italy.

When I think of a family tree, I picture an actual tree, rather than just a tree-like diagram. The tree featured in this post is from a walk I took on Thanksgiving last year with my mom, step-father Michael, Indy, and Roxy.

Today’s #Bloganuary prompt: How far back in your family tree can you go?

Since I learned to read, I have been an avid reader. I wasn’t much of a writer until around high school, although my mom will be quick to point out I won a writing contest in second grade. It was a very short story, and yes, I beat out around 40 or 50 other second graders for the wonderful prize of a copy of Stuart Little!

In high school, I got into writing poetry. I even had a poem published (online) once. I wonder if I could even find where that was or if the website even exists today.

I started blogging when I was in college. It was partly a way to keep my family updated on my life, since I went to college in Maryland, a long way from home (California). While there have been breaks, blogging is something that I’ve done for a long time now at this point. I don’t think WordPress existed when I started my first blog!

Once, I attempted to write a short story/novella/novel. Ok, if I’m honest, it was never going to be longer than a short story. It was about salamanders. It was in a word doc and I have somehow lost that document. I’m not entirely sure if I’m sad or not.

I write because I can.

I write because I enjoy it.

I write to express myself.

I write for fun.

I write for work.

I write to leave my mark on the world.

Today’s #Bloganuary prompt: Why do you write?