Letters Home, Section 3, Lisa's letter, April 3, 2007

April 3, 2007

To my daughters, my husband, and any who shall read these words,


When you don’t really know where to start, anywhere will do. Otherwise, you’ll never begin. Someone once told me that and, as years have passed, I have learned what good advice it is. Here, in the house garden, as I write this, I look up periodically to see my children and husband napping in the shade of an old oak tree and the sight of them brings a smile to my face. And, I know, that if I had never began, I wouldn’t be lucky enough to have them in my life.

I was born in this little town and raised here at The Oak. But, at the time, I never truly appreciated the beauty and serenity of my home or the lessons it had to teach me. But, I’ll save that story for later and tell it bit by bit. Right now, what’s important is that I’ve rediscovered the peace within this property, and I have learned to keep it in my heart and carry it with me always, no matter where I may go.

Writing was never really my thing. I’ve always preferred measurements and corners. Yet, if you’ll have patience with me, I will do the best I can to find the words that I want to say to you, words that will tell you of my life and help you to avoid making the same mistakes I’ve made. Life is about learning and growing, and we’ll all make mistakes no matter what, but life is also about sharing and that’s what I hope to do with this.

I am Lisa Michaels Russell, a woman, a mother, a wife, and an architect, with dreams that I had once forgotten but have since remembered and realized. And, as I write these letters with words destined for your heart, I hope to encourage you to find your own dreams, and pursue them with passionate determination and the gentle light of hope….



This work is entirely fictional. Any resemblance to situations or persons, living or dead, is coincidental and entirely unintentional.