About Me

---

As a young girl growing up in Middle Georgia with two older brothers and working parents, I was influenced in countless ways - by my hard-working parents who ensured we had a home-cooked supper (complete with sweet tea and cornbread) every night, by the church I attended every Sunday, by the people who came into and left our lives, and by both the good and bad decisions made along the way. In my 30s, I discovered that I hadn’t just been influenced; I had been inspired.

I’ve learned that we should appreciate all the influences we encounter. As we become adults, we can live true to our hearts, minds, and souls - never forgetting what and who made us who we are. We must respect that people are shaped by both how they were born and by the influences that have touched their lives.

I remember one morning on a flight to NYC for work, when I found myself seated next to an older gentleman. I’ve always been drawn to people’s stories, but that day I was exhausted-just wanting to rest. Yet he began talking, and I found myself captivated. As it turned out, he was a retired NY Yankees baseball player on his way to a reunion. I asked him about his life, his influences, and his inspirations. Long after landing, in the taxi ride home, I couldn’t shake the thought: “Everyone has a story.” We all do, and we all have the power to inspire.

After that day, I began noticing how often I quoted my parents, my brothers, old bosses, and others. I realized that while I may only remember a few moments, sentences, or memories from most people in my life, those fragments resonated deeply with me. They spoke to me so profoundly that I felt compelled to share them - to inspire others with my own “abili-tea.”

I truly believe we all have this abili-tea to connect and reach out, to share the inspirations that have helped us become better people and make better decisions. But let’s face it – we’re busy, tired, and rarely have the time to settle in with a 300-page book. Yet we still deserve a positive, uplifting message. With a full-time job, two kids, a husband, and an active social life, I know I need daily inspiration too.

So here I am - a non-famous, average “Joanne” - offering you small, short, inspirational stories you can read whenever you have a few spare moments at home, on a plane, at the beach, or wherever life takes you. These are little tokens from my life that I hope bring you a smile, a laugh, hope, comfort, and confidence - pure positivity! If I can do even one of those things for one person, I’ve met my goal.

Love to you all. Hang in there. Life is hard - a roller coaster of ups and downs, twists and turns - but there’s always inspiration to be found.

Serena

P.S. This song sums it up for me. The first time I heard it, I played it back-to-back a hundred times!

I believe most people are good.

https://youtu.be/e6EGQFJLl04