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Caution: Mermaid Crossing
This blog (including pages of interest as an author/speaker/workshop presenter)
is a companion to my upcoming collection of essays titled,
Caution: Mermaid Crossing, Voyages of a Motherless Daughter - Passing through a sea of adversity,
she overcomes a life unimaginable by crossing into the world of ethereal beauty and mermaid magic.
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Seasoned Survivor
Those who have known me for any length of time would say that I am a consummate survivor. Since it's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I...
Valerie Anne Burns
Oct 21, 2023
Tsunami Birthday Month
This photo shows the size of the wave that was roaring towards me a couple weeks back and I had no choice but to stand there as it rushed...
Valerie Anne Burns
Sep 28, 2023
Is Life Everything You Visualized?
As my birthday approaches the end of next month, I'm reflecting on how different life is from what I visualized at the age of 19. At that...
Valerie Anne Burns
Aug 8, 2023
Summer Happenings
What is your summer looking like? My patio is full of summer bloom abundance and it's been a busy spring into summer season for me. Who...
Valerie Anne Burns
Jul 12, 2023
Unplug to Stop the Madness
Why is everything so complicated? Life is meant to be easier with the internet, texting, emailing, etc. - Really? There is a reason the...
Valerie Anne Burns
Jun 8, 2023
My Very Own Everything, Everywhere, All At Once
They say that eyes are the windows to your soul. That could very well be true and there's nothing better than in-person eye contact. It's...
Valerie Anne Burns
May 2, 2023
I'm Included in a Global Virtual Reading
I have reading news: The writers from this book are global and it ought to be a very interesting virtual reading to hear a variety of...
Valerie Anne Burns
Mar 13, 2023
How Did February Slide By Me?
Yesterday was the last day of the acknowledgement of love month, and I missed getting a blog accomplished. Perhaps February 14 is part of...
Valerie Anne Burns
Mar 1, 2023
Reinvent, Rain, and Renewal
Happy Always New Year! This is the most rain I've seen in more than a decade. CA has been desperate for nourishment in an ongoing drought...
Valerie Anne Burns
Jan 18, 2023
Reentry, Reminiscing, and Reconciling
Being away for a month in a foreign country such as Italy presents a certain culture shock upon returning home. What I missed most at...
Valerie Anne Burns
Dec 9, 2022
It's Raining in Rome While I Reminisce About the Amalfi
I woke way too early this morning at around 4:00 a.m. and my mind began to wander without stopping. The plan was to be up early to head...
Valerie Anne Burns
Oct 13, 2022
Day 7 - Bitter Sweet Parting From Casa Tua Vaticano
I'm sad to leave my hotel where I stayed for seven days, mostly because I will miss the owners (and life partners} Tommaso and Massimo,...
Valerie Anne Burns
Oct 4, 2022
Day 6 - St. Peter's Cathedral Cupola Experience
Today, my friend, Millena and I went back to St. Peter's Square to enter the cathedral. It is a both overwhelming and a grand, majestical...
Valerie Anne Burns
Oct 3, 2022
Day 5 - St. Peter's Square
Today, I decided to make the journey to St Peter's Square, which is walking distance from my hotel. On the way, I stopped at a local cafe...
Valerie Anne Burns
Oct 2, 2022
Day 4 - Zipping Around Rome in a Golf Cart
There are times when the expression: "A picture speaks a thousand words", this is one of those times and this blog will have several...
Valerie Anne Burns
Oct 1, 2022
Day 3 - Restful in Roma
Today I'm taking some time to rest a bit. I'm still recoverig from a long travel journey with no sleep and of course, the nine hour time...
Valerie Anne Burns
Sep 30, 2022
Day 2 - My Birthday
Today is my birthday and I am celebrating it in Roma. Not too shabby. I actually slept in later than I thought and it was a Today needed...
Valerie Anne Burns
Sep 29, 2022
Day 1 - Jet Lagged and Jubilant
From Santa Barbara to Roma via Barcelona was a 24-hour journey door-to-door. Some of this was due to the advice I received from Santa...
Valerie Anne Burns
Sep 28, 2022
Please Excuse Excessive Email Faux Pas
My sincere apologies for filling up your inbox. Blogs were moved over from my old blog site to Wix in this process of set-up and ,...
Valerie Anne Burns
Sep 12, 2022
Just Around the Corner is Another Special Journey
I'm visualizing myself in Rome wandering the beautiful cobblestone streets just like the one in the photo. I'll pause to take in the...
Valerie Anne Burns
Sep 4, 2022
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